Minimum Wage Increases: Socialism on Full Display

   The new Democrat majority in the House is calling for raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 in the next few years. Also, this year, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Democrats there want to raise their minimum wage to $15 per hour over several years. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy just signed a bill raising their minimum wage to $15 an hour phasing in the higher rate over five years. Hawaii Governor David Ige’s just proposed raising their minimum wage of $10.10 an hour to $11, but not until 2020, then the measure increases wages $1 a year until 2024.

   Wherever you read Leftists are raising the minimum wage, the common denominator is always that it is never immediate. We have repeatedly heard from “Progressives”  that raising the minimum wage does not hurt businesses nor do government mandated wage increases cause job losses. If raising the minimum wage does not hurt businesses as Progressives claim, why delay its full implementation until years later?

   Minimum wage increases are often accompanied by tax credits to businesses to “help offset the cost of the wage increase” the Progressives always say. If an arbitrary minimum wage does not hurt businesses as Progressives claim, then why offer any tax credits at all?

   Remember, private businesses must make a profit. When federal or state governments tell employers they must pay their wor ...