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GOP Congressman Takes Page From Dem Playbook, Repeals Gravity
As long as we're turning a blind eye toward the way the world works, we may as well get creative. Club for Growth-supported freshman Congressman and recently elected leader of the Republican freshman class Bill Sali (R-ID) is doing just that.
New Idaho Congressman Bill Sali proposed a bill Wednesday to combat obesity by reducing the Earth's gravity, saying that's no more unreasonable than the Democrats' legislation to increase the federal minimum wage.
Both defy "natural laws," he said.
"The well-intentioned desire to help the poor apparently will not be restrained by the rules and principles of the free market that otherwise do restrain American businesses and workers," Sali told the House of Representatives. "Apparently, Congress can change the rules that would otherwise affect the affairs of mankind."
The 233 Democrats and 82 Republicans that voted for the economically destructive, job-quashing minimum wage hike will presumably have no problem getting on board with Sali's similarly reasoned proposal.
Previously: Optimal Minimum Wage: $0/Hour
Handcrafted by Flip on January 11, 2007 |
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Comments
Just wondering if you could provide some proof for this "job-quashing min. wage hike". For instance, there have been a large number of states that have increased the min. wage in the last 5 years. If you could show that unemployment rose, or even if their job growth was sluggish compared to the national average, that'd be dandy.Posted by: Nor | Jan 11, 2007 10:35:33 AM
First, it's axiomatic. If government implements a price control on a commodity, it moves the intersection of supply and demand away from the market clearing price and quantity. In this case, higher prices and smaller quantity. And the jobs lost are not high-paying jobs, but those that would pay just at or under the new minimum wage. So the policy is most directly harmful to those it purports to help. Add in the indirect effects of reduced economic activity and inflationary pressure, and you're bound to see compounding job losses. There's no magic money or prosperity created by setting a floor on wages, only distortions of the free market and the inevitably damaging outcome. To your question, state-by-state job creation and unemployment are harder to link causally to any one factor, since there's a free flow of labor among states and since regional economic conditions have dramatic effects on regional job markets. But here's a bit of research illustrating the hundreds of thousands of low-paying jobs lost to the 1996 $0.50 minimum wage increase (during a booming economy). http://www.epionline.org/study_detail.cfm?sid=5 We're now fixing to push it up by more than $2.00. Let's pray the Senate has more sense and/or intellectual honesty than the House.Posted by: Flip | Jan 11, 2007 10:55:09 AM
Getting "on bored," huh? No, I don't think anyone is going to be bored with Bill Sali in the House. Embarrassed, yes. He's the new Helen Chenoweth. Meanwhile, our other Idaho congressman Mike Simpson (a Republican) voted to raise the minimum wage. I sent him a thank-you email this morning.Posted by: Julie in Boise | Jan 11, 2007 3:50:06 PM
Whoops - thanks, Julie. Got it fixed in the post now. Your copy editing skills are beyond doubt. You seem a little mixed up on the economics though.Posted by: Flip | Jan 11, 2007 4:25:08 PM
