College students in a low paying job presumably won’t be in a low paying, minimum wage job forever; else why go to college and get a higher education? So let’s strike them from the discussion.

That leaves those who “lack more financially productive skills”. I would support a program that a) calculates the amount of money that each business would have to pay under the new higher wage b) raises income taxes on everyone to bring in that extra amount and c) spends that extra income on free (or heavily subsidized) education programs designed to make a worker more valuable in the labor market.

My program is better in several ways. First, it makes the costs of a higher min. wage explicit, and doesn’t hide it amongst millions of transactions that occur daily. Second, it directly ties society’s affluent to the indigent, since we have a progressive tax system, and their greater tax dollars are going directly to those in need, helping them become more educated, and thus better people. Finally, it rewards the motivated while ignoring the unmotivated (aka lazy).

But my plan was not proposed on the ballot; only this stupid alternative that does nothing to fix the underlying long term problem (lack of education) and automatically increases the minimum wage every year. Not only that, this is codifying a policy into our state constitution, which is absolutely the wrong place for it. If you’re dead set on increasing the minimum wage, do it in a statute; not a constitutional amendment.

Anyhow, I still love you and we will climb some big rocks next summer.

xoxo,

/ac