BEING PRESSED ON MINIMUM WAGE DATA

So, of course, after crossposting yesterday's Real Art post on facebook, the conservatives swooped in to challenge my facts.  So I provided them:

Timothy, as you requested, some data.

First, an LA Times article, which is probably the most neutral of the sources I'm offering, simply because, as a newspaper, the must give, at least, lip service to objectivity. They looked at three studies. The local chamber of commerce study found, predictably, what they expected to find, the traditional conservative minimum wage boogy man.

But the other two studies the examined found the opposite.

The study sponsored by a local labor organization, and done by the non-profit Economic Roundtable organization found exactly what I'm saying, a net increase in jobs, and growth in the economy. But probably the most even handed source, the University of California, which did its own study, said it will be a wash, but with a slight net increase in jobs.

Personally, as a Keynesian, I'm predicting more hiring and an expanding LA economy. But, at worst, it will be a wash, with the more fruit of workers' labors going to the workers who grew the fruit, which is a good thing. Anyway, check it out:

http://www.latimes.com/local/cityhall/la-me-minimum-wage-studies-20150320-story.html

Department of Labor information on the minimum wage:

http://www.dol.gov/minwage/mythbuster.htm

A study of Seattle's minimum wage hikes over the last decade have found virtually no malevolent effect on the local economy:

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/studies-look-at-what-happened-when-cities-raised-minimum-wage/

A Center for Economic and Policy Research study just says straight up that minimum wage hikes do not lower employment.

http://www.cepr.net/publications/reports/why-does-the-minimum-wage-have-no-discernible-effect-on-employment

So, Timothy, the bottom line, for me, is that minimum wage increases have been studied out the wazoo, for many years, using real world situations where the minimum wage was actually raised.

I have never, ever, ever, EVER heard of a situation in our lifetimes when raising the minimum wage hurt the economy where it happened. I mean, sure, conservatives, business owners, capitalists, all of them insist that will happen, but I've never seen any evidence that it does. Just a lot of wishful thinking on the part of people who can't bear to pay a fair wage for fair work.

So it's all a myth. All lies. All for the express purpose of ripping off the working class.

Excelsior!

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