The $15/hour robot

"The median household income in Minneapolis is just a hair under $70,000 annually. A $15/hour salary will give a family $30,000. In my book, that is still dirt poor." 

John Marty, one of our favorite long term progressives in our fair city, penned an article this morning making his point why we need to have the $15/hour minimum wage. First in Minneapolis and then all across Minnesota. Marty goes on to say how hard it is to live on the current minimum wage. On this I agree. That is why the minimum wage was NEVER meant to be a "livable wage".

I remember years ago, the Mayor of Garage Logic made a very good point. Back in the day when $20 really meant something, the Mayor thought we should raise the minimum wage to that level. It was all tongue in cheek of course. But his point was valid. If you want to really give people a livable wage, make it a livable wage. Going from $5/hour up to $6.50/hour certainly was not "livable". $20/hour on the other hand, now we are talking.

The median household income in Minneapolis is just a hair under $70,000 annually. A $15/hour salary will give a family $30,000. In my book, that is still dirt poor. Considering the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Minneapolis is close to $1,000/month, where in the world can you live on that little? So Marty's argument is now and always has been, a canard.

The best way not to work for a low wage is to make yourself more valuable to an employer. I was told years ago that with any job, you make a trade. You trade the best you can offer for the highest wage your employer is willing to pay you. Period. I have worked for minimum wage when I was very young. So did many of my friends. We ALL figured out how to make enough money to live life on. 

One of the unintended consequences of make the unskilled labor force too expensive is to accelerate automation. That is right - robots. And robots do not have to look like the robot in Lost in Space. It can be any type of automation. So more and more of unskilled positions will be replaced by non-humans. And then this issue will really become moot.

Nice try Senator Marty. Government mandates are not the answer. The answer is allowing people to maximize their own potential. Then higher wages will follow. Period.