Minimum Wage Folly

            In my last blog I wished that the President would target gun violence in gang-infested neighborhoods like the ones in his hometown of Chicago. I wished that he would address the root causes of the senseless violence, beginning with a culture that glorifies drugs, denigrates education, and accepts illegitimate births, broken families, and government dependency as the new norm.

            Well, kudos to the President who did go to Chicago and spoke passionately on the subject, especially to young black men who shun the responsibilities of fatherhood. It was a good start that I hope will be followed up with more exhortations from him.
            It was a pity, however, that Obama chose that occasion to push wrong-headed measures that he thinks will help the economy pull out of its doldrums. One measure in particular was raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.00 an hour. He could not have come up with a worse idea for his audience.
            Unemployment among black men is over 20% and much worse for young blacks looking to enter the workforce. Entry level jobs paying minimum wage are a place to start, a foot in the door. Yet, every study on the subject has shown that increasing the minimum wage costs jobs; it bars the door to those young people who lack the skills and experience to enter the workforce at a higher level. Employers will simply eliminate jobs that they cannot justify paying at the higher rate. It's simple economics, and the Anointed One just doesn't get it. He might as well have said, "You young people need to get a job. I've got an idea that will make that harder."
            Economics is not the President's strong point. He should stick to what he's good at: reading teleprompters, bashing Republicans, vilifying the rich and successful, raising taxes, increasing our national debt... Hmm. Maybe not.