Higher wage means inflation
I wish to contribute to the current discussion on raising minimum wage from $5.15 to $7 an hour. Increasing minimum wage causes inflation. Prices don’t just magically rise for those who are rich. They rise for everyone, including the minimum wage earners. So, $5.15 buys just as many apples before a minimum wage hike as $7 will after the minimum wage hike. Economically, the recipients of minimum wage have experienced a non event, unless they are among the unfortunate ones who get laid off. Any business faced with a mandated 36 percent increase in labor expense will start searching for alternatives. Minimum wage earners will be replaced by machines or processes that were previously more expensive than labor.
As unemployment and welfare lines grow so does the voter base that supports the very politicians who championed the minimum wage increase, thus ensuring these politicians job security. Individuals wanting to improve their standard of living do so by improving their skill set. Learning something as simple as how to lay a tile floor or answer a phone with a polite voice moves an individual to double or triple the minimum wage rate.
Chase Hale
Potomac Maryland
High wage raises unemployment
The recent letters about the minimum wage reflect a very common and consequential misunderstanding of the issue. The harsh reality is that raising the price of something, in this case labor, invariably reduces demand for it. This is called unemployment, and those who are less educated suffer the most from this consequence. For example, a recent citywide wage hike in Santa Fe, N.M. raised the likelihood of unemployment by 3.3 percent for all workers, and by 8.3 percent for the less educated. Those who benefited were predominantly upper-middle class teens. High unemployment in other countries like South Africa (26 percent) is also linked to minimum wage laws. Regardless of what the government says a job is worth, employers cannot hire people whose productivity is less than the cost of their labor. Ignoring this reality leads to support of policies that hurt, rather than help, the poor.
Spouting platitudes about a “living wage” is fine, but it gives scant comfort to the uneducated man who now earns nothing because he has lost his job. Government regulation of the price of labor, as does most regulation, harms the poorest among us while allowing the elite and self-important to feel good about themselves.
John Barber
Albuquerque, N.M.
Dems don’t offer better choices
I feel compelled to address Ben Treasure’s anti-morality rhetoric. He suggests that the “Mormon-Republican bloc” is too blinded by preference for moral issues to see the reality of the conservative platform. Are moral issues not a part of our reality? Would he have us instead support the superficial “philanderous” and pro-abortion platforms whose subsurface agendas are no more worthy of support than those he describes of the Republicans? If we only have two viable choices and each has as many or as few “virtous, lovely [and] … praiseworthy” qualities, at least we can choose the one that isn’t killing babies. For me, economic and political issues will always take a back seat to moral issues, even if that puts me in the poor house and America loses its place as number one.
Nathan Simmons
Beulah, N.D.
Tired of Republican stereotype
I’m tired of hearing that since I’m a Republican at BYU I blindly follow Bush because of being close-minded and uninformed. On my mission, I repeatedly heard that the only reason I’m a Mormon is because I blindly follow my leaders. I know that’s not true, and the same goes for my political persuasion. Moreover, I’m positive there exist Democrats out there who blindly follow Hillary, Kerry or whomever.
I’m sick of hearing that the Republicans are the only corrupt ones in office. All of a sudden, the left wing has become saintly and will lead us to salvation because all those nasty Republicans are filthy, greedy and corrupt. Granted there are some prominent Republicans in the news and I don’t support their actions. But the liberal media doesn’t mention the Clinton administration IRS scandal which Kerry, Kennedy and other cohorts swept under the rug in recent months.
Evan Allan
Twin Falls, Idaho
President is consistent
I stopped reading The Daily Universe a couple of years ago when I saw a conscious effort to disenfranchise the majority of readers by promoting liberal social ideals as the only reasonable viewpoint of an “informed” populace. This year has been better, so I started reading it again. When I saw the articles about President Bush’s poll numbers I expected to see a number of letters accusing us of being blind and uninformed, but I didn’t expect the editorial board would take such a stance.
Is the President doing a better job this year than last? When someone is consistent overall, how can you judge? Individual issues are also difficult. Social Security reform is an important issue for our future, but not making the same public push this year makes sense politically. So which is better?
Both the editorial board and Ben Treasure (and his more-objective, more-informed-than-thou friends) can be forgiven for accusing us of being surface-deep, single-issue voters. After all, how many BYU students, who think that their personal identity is dependent on being “different,” espouse a certain political philosophy solely to assert their individuality? Or is that an unfair generalization?
An honest response of “I don’t know” doesn’t mean we are not knowledgeable. Talk to us. We know truth when we see it. We know what we stand for. We know what we fight for, even when others forget.
Evan Zaugg
Syracuse
Vote for favorite color
The low voter turnout for BYUSA elections has been well documented since basically the dawn of time. BYU students are missing out on opportunities to make their voices heard. Many students claim that the elections are pointless. This year, though, we can use the democratic process to clarify an important issue: What is your favorite color?
As you go to the polls, we encourage you to consider the ramifications. Do you want orange to win, or would you rather spend a year with yellow running things? Do you hate red and love blue? Or is it simply enough to vote against whoever is playing “Celebration” nonstop around campus? Remember, your vote can make a difference. When all is said and done, the new BYUSA president won’t be any different than the last, but at least you can have a say in what color shirt the victor will be wearing!
Brett Millar
Rigby, Idaho
Vote at Honor Code office
The way I see it, it doesn’t really matter who you vote for in the upcoming BYUSA elections. This year, just like every other year, the candidates seem to be resume-padding carbon copies, and the issues that they address aren’t really that important. Sure a radio station would have been nice, but let’s be honest, they would probably just play a-cappella music or something else no one wants to hear. More activities would also be nice, but the freshmen probably have enough entertainment already.
What about housing issues? It seems that many students are concerned about being fleeced by their landlords, so why not address that? But, in the end, let’s all take the lesson of last year’s BYUSA elections to heart. If you really want your voice to be heard, just cast your vote at the Honor Code office – in the form of a denouncement of your least favorite candidate.
Andrew Stephens
Auburn Wash.
Supports financial aid cuts
I am a student that benefits from financial aid. Recently there has been a lot spoken about our leaders cutting the benefits offered in this program. I will admit that it is hard to make it through school. Personally I have had no parent to help pay for school and have had to work as I attempt to graduate. But never the less, I fully support the government’s decision to cut student benefits. Americans have always needed to sacrifice at war times. People give up their lives for this cause.
The president that we as a people elected has chosen to fight this war and we can at least give up a small portion of an already free gift. The complaining that has arisen is a perfect example of people who receive a gift from the government and soon begin to feel it is their right to have. Then when it is so much as threatened they begin to complain. For those who won’t be able to make their next car payment because financial aid is being decreased, walk or heaven forbid go out on a limb and invest in your own education with a loan.
Nathaniel Gee
Salt Lake City
