Would Subsidizing Jobs Be More Conservative than the Minimum Wage?

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Ricochet: Would Subsidizing Jobs Be More Conservative than the Minimum Wage?

ShellGamer August 22, 2016 33 COMMENTS

One of the problems of working is that I often I miss interesting posts and comments on Ricochet. One of them was @katebraestrup‘s Free Money! No Strings Attached from April which discussed the guaranteed basic income as an alternative to the welfare state. I’ve been thinking about welfare reform — specifically, about the new pushes for minimum wage — but wonder if there isn’t an approach that might be more in-keeping with conservative views. Mind you, everything that follows I’ve phrased in relative terms; I’m offering what I hope is a least-worst alternative, not an ideal one. So, let’s begin with what I regard as the inherent dishonesty of the minimum wage:

 

1. It presupposes that any occupation, if plied for eight hours a day (why not six or ten) provides social value equal to a living wage