Thomas Sowell On Why Romney Actually Doesn’t Care Fig #1 About The Poor

Posted on | February 7, 2012 | 15 Comments

by Smitty

Mitt Romney has come out in support of indexing the minimum wage law, to have it rise automatically to keep pace with inflation. To many people, that would seem like a small thing that can be left for economists or statisticians to deal with.
But to people who call themselves conservatives, and aspire to public office, there is no excuse for not being aware of what a major social disaster the minimum wage law has been for the young, the poor and especially for young and poor blacks.
It is not written in the stars that young black males must have astronomical rates of unemployment. It is written implicitly in the minimum wage laws.

I should think that the Bain of our existence would be a little more knowledgable about the evil effects of minimum wage laws.

The positive examples of policy queering markets are so rare as to be non-existant. And yet, like entitlements, minimum wage laws are among the policy drugs we can’t stop smoking.

Romney, combining the worst aspects of a politician and a roulette wheel, will probably come out strongly at war with Eastasian minimum wage laws, which he has always fought.

via Riehl on Twitter

Category: Mitt Romney, Thomas Sowell

Comments

15 Responses to “Thomas Sowell On Why Romney Actually Doesn’t Care Fig #1 About The Poor”

SteveM
February 7th, 2012 @ 8:22 pm

>” It is not written in the stars that young black males must have
astronomical rates of unemployment. It is written implicitly in the
minimum wage laws.”

No, it is written in our open borders immigration policy.
ThePaganTemple
February 7th, 2012 @ 9:50 pm

Wow Santorum is way ahead in Colorado, at 50%, and Romney’s way back in third place at 19%, Gingrich 21%. Of course that’s with just 1% of precincts reporting, but still, got to be a good sign.
Mike Rogers
February 7th, 2012 @ 9:51 pm

I truly believe that Romney has never dealt with hiring at minimum wage levels. Only two things could explain such his position on the minimum wage:
Either he’s economically clueless – may be able to run a business, but does not understand macroeconomics, or he’s a liberal.
Some would say it’s the latter.
Mike Rogers
February 7th, 2012 @ 9:53 pm

El wrongo, batman.
The borders must be secured, but bad liberal policies are the real reason for the inability of low skilled workers to get on the first ring of the ladder to prosperity.
Cube
February 7th, 2012 @ 10:43 pm

But, but… they sound so good. There couldn’t possibly be something wrong with liberal ideas. And if you say otherwise, SHUT UP, YOU [insert slander of choice here].

/sarc
Cube
February 7th, 2012 @ 10:52 pm

The two need not be mutually exclusive. Add in a contempt for education, lack of good male role models plus all the other social pathologies and you get a segment of the population that is virtually unemployable, regardless of skin color. There aren’t any easy answers.
Adjoran
February 7th, 2012 @ 11:53 pm

He’s definitely won Missouri and Minnesota, and is still ahead in Colorado with 26% reporting, although it is closer (that totals under 4000 votes, the snow seems to have had an effect).

Santorum may well sweep all zero delegates at stake tonight.
Adjoran
February 8th, 2012 @ 12:00 am

Or he is trying to avoid being drawn into a non-issue that can only cost him votes in the general.

Sowell is correct on the long-term effect of minimum wage laws, as has been known for decades, but that isn’t the view of the public. And unskilled people of any age and color aren’t going get the lowest jobs when there are more qualified people out of work who will take the same money and do a better job.

So politically it’s a loser, and makes no difference to anyone out of a job now. But for those who would rather make a point than win elections, it’s a great issue. They may enjoy the next few hundred leftist judges Obama appoints in his second term.
K-Bob
February 8th, 2012 @ 1:03 am

As I wrote elsewhere, I think “Minimum Wage” ought to be set permanently at one cent. That’s because it’s the least you can pay someone using legal tender (coins) in the US.

Zero cents doesn’t work because that’s not really “paying.”

That way kids can start working again.
ThePaganTemple
February 8th, 2012 @ 6:42 am

Anybody that comes out against minimum wage law, especially during an election, is dumber than a box of fucking rocks. As for the Constitution, there’s that little thing called the 13th Amendment, which provides ample justification for it in my view. Just cut the damn taxes down to well under twenty percent for everybody, slash the plethora of unnecessary regulations that burden business, and they should not mind paying minimum wage. And if they do, fuck them. What do they want, a free fucking ride? Everybody’s got to give something.
Anonymous
February 8th, 2012 @ 6:55 am

I’ve never heard of using the 13th Amendment to justify minimum wage laws, though I guess it makes sense in an unintended consequence wedge of federal power sort of way. I suppose that will also be the next step in the criminalization of unpaid internships.
Bob Belvedere
February 8th, 2012 @ 9:11 am

Hey, Adj, I didn’t know you now work for Fox News?
Bob Belvedere
February 8th, 2012 @ 9:13 am

So…are you saying that The Bain Of Our Existence is a Pander Bear???
McGehee
February 8th, 2012 @ 9:01 pm

By definition, any state not won by His Electable Inevitableness doesn’t matter.
AngelaTC
February 8th, 2012 @ 10:31 pm

Sure there is. I saw UPS start running shuttles to the inner city to help poor black men get to work. That was right before the Mexican invasion started.