The following statements are positive ideas. They do not reflect my normative opinions even though I use "should" too much.
(The following is mostly GGM's idea. I just expanded on it.)
The minimum wage "should" be tied to other factors like age and number of dependents. A minimum wage is supposed to help people eat. It is supposed to give them a "living wage." Because of their parents, teen aged lifeguards and burger flippers need less pay to eat and "live" than single mothers trying to support their children. It is ridiculous that both teenagers and single mothers face the same minimum wage. An individuals' minimum wage "should" depend on their situation.
Now of course, this leads to perverse incentives for businesses. They will only hire low wage teenagers. So there would also have to be tax breaks for employers that hire single mothers. This system could aide welfare reform also.
I am pretty sure that other countries already have a variable minimum wage. (This is mostly GGM's idea, but I just expanded on it.)
(The following idea comes from "100 Calorie Snack Packs".)
Instead of regulating individual foods, government could mandate container sizes. For example soda "should" only come in containers that held less than 200 calories. No 2 liter bottles or 24oz Big Shooters, people could only buy 10 ounce (200 calorie) cans.
Container regulation would help some people count calories and control their caloric intake. It would also raise the cost of food and effectively tax caloric intake by not allowing any economies of package size.
I am not a communist.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
While an interesting idea, it flies in the face of most labor laws: Equal pay for equal work. A very communist idea indeed.
So does affirmative action(defies labor laws), but it has recieved substantial support.
Maybe it would have to be an optional program. I'm sure that there are those who already practice this 'informal adoption' of this kind of a pay method. But if the government endorsed it, I think it would have to be optional.
GGM
The minimum wage in itself flies in the face of most labor laws.
I cannot believe I am saying this, but I think the proposal would work better than the current system. The optional thing might be a good idea also.
Post a Comment