Virtually all of the 2020 Democrat candidates are running on the platform of increasing the minimum wage. Of course, progressives have also chosen to ignore the reality that the free market tends to adjust to minimum wage hikes. Companies raise prices, employers reduce the number of hours which are given to workers and sometimes employees are even laid off. Nevertheless, Democrats ignore these realities and pretend as though anyone who opposes minimum wage increases hates the poor.
Well, the reality of minimum wage increases has manifested yet again within the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders. The self-proclaimed socialist recently took heat after campaigning for a minimum wage of $15 per hour while his own staffers can barely rub two nickels together. Following this backlash, Sanders announced that he will begin paying his staffers $15 per hour…with the caveat of reducing their hours, as documented by Fox News.
Decreasing Hours and Increasing Wages
Per Sanders’ own admission, his campaign cannot afford to pay workers $15 per hour without lowering their hours. He’s tried to reframe this reality, but a spade is a spade. Sanders was forced to face this during an interview with The DesMoines Register.
In Sanders’ own words:
“I’m very proud to be the first presidential candidate to recognize a union and negotiate a union contract. [We will] limit the number of hours staffers work to 42 or 43 each week to ensure they’re making the equivalent of $15 an hour.”
What’s quite interesting here is that Sanders’ decision is the decision which business owners have consistently made when forced to increase their minimum wages. Another fascinating element is that other Democrats who are running have yet to speak out about this matter.
This is likely due to the reality that it wouldn’t be politically advantageous for Democrats to address this. Acknowledgement of this sort would prove that conservatives have been right all along in asserting that minimum wage increases are pointless and counterproductive.
Facts vs. Feelings
Regardless of how much Democrats attempt to appeal to individual feelings, facts will always win in the end. The reality is that certain jobs are not meant to be lifelong positions of employment. The free market always adapts in one way or another when the minimum wage is increased. Individuals who are interested in increasing their earnings should look into taking on better jobs or going into business for themselves.
This is something which progressives won’t address because it places the onus on personal responsibility as opposed to blaming external circumstances for individuals’ various plights.
What do you think about Bernie Sanders’ decreasing the hours of workers in order to pay them a $15 per hour minimum wage? Sound off in the comments section down below!
