The Patriot Post® · Votes for $15

Paying workers at least $15 an hour may damage the economy, but who cares so long as it gets the votes? WikiLeaks’ recent release of Hillary Clinton’s emails reveals a remarkably callous attitude from her campaign in regard to the negative impact a $15 federal minimum wage would have on the economy. First, a little back story. Hillary, who in her primary campaign had initially supported a $12 minimum wage, made a play for Bernie Sanders supporters by jumping on the $15 minimum wage bandwagon. Barack Obama’s own economic adviser Alan Krueger, who has called for incremental increases to the minimum wage, warned in a New York Times op-ed that a $15 minimum wage would result in “severe” economic consequences, with much of the country not able to absorb such a significant wage hike.

In an email to four top Clinton campaign staffers, Neera Tanden, head of the Center for American Progress, warned against the $15 minimum wage policy, writing, “Substantively, we have not supported $15 — you will get a fair number of liberal economists who will say it will lose jobs.” Not only was there no push back against that suggestion, but neither did Clinton’s campaign change policy course. Evidently, Hillary is fine with Americans losing their jobs so long as it favors her politically. Here is yet another example of the problem with socialism. Those in power may say they care more for the plight of the poor than do capitalists, and yet their actions betray that they are primarily concerned with consolidating power — often at the expense of jobs and freedom.