Regardless of how much those on the conservative side point to predictions of job losses or show how well red-state policies have worked with employment, there are always people in government who believe they know better.

The latest case in point is the state of California, which recently passed a bill creating a Fast Food Council selected by state officials to represent the thousands of fast food workers in the state. Naturally, Governor Gavin Newsom — who is up for reelection this fall — took the occasion of Labor Day to enthusiastically sign the bill, gushing, “I’m proud to sign this legislation on Labor Day when we pay tribute to the workers who keep our state running as we build a stronger, more inclusive economy for all Californians.”

That is, all Californians except for those franchisees already reeling from a moribund post-COVID economy who now must wonder where the heck they’ll come up with the money for artificially increased wages. We all know the answer, of course: higher prices to fast food consumers already buffeted by Bidenflation. “At the end of the day,” noted Republican gubernatorial candidate State Senator Brian Dahle, “it’s going to drive up the cost of the products that they serve.” The bill passed despite an analysis from the UC Riverside Center for Economic Forecast and Development that also predicted increased costs. Remember when McDonald’s used to beam with pride that you could have a meal and still get change for a dollar? Pretty soon it’ll be 10 bucks for a Happy Meal.

“This bill has been built on a lie,” added International Franchise Association President and CEO Matthew Haller. “Franchises already pay higher wages and offer more opportunity for advancement than their independent counterparts, and this bill unfairly targets one of the greatest models for achieving the American Dream and the millions of people it supports.”

The way the bill works is that the Council will meet to determine a fast food worker wage that “shall, from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, inclusive, shall not be greater than twenty-two dollars ($22) per hour.” That’s nearly half again the proposed minimum wage for California, which will be $15.50 an hour come January. However, not all restaurants are affected and there are some “inefficient, absurd loopholes” a restaurant could resort to, such as adding table service. But the largest loophole is that the bill only affects restaurants with over 100 locations, which means — for once — the mom-and-pop operators catch a break. (At least until next year, when surely the “reform” package will lower the threshold to a far smaller number of restaurants.)

What government and the Big Labor backers of the bill tend to forget when they consider measures like this is that the true minimum wage is zero dollars, which is what the fella who’s out of a job is making. We knew that the “Fight for 15” was never going to be complete because it would become a large part of creating the inflationary spiral we’re in now. (That and Uncle Sam paying people not to work at all.) We do a lot better when workers — and not government edict — are the ones who create value.

The folks at National Review concluded their Labor Day message this way: “Good work is something to be proud of. It is useful to one’s self, to one’s family, and to one’s community. Work properly understood honors the abilities and capacities with which we are endowed by our Creator and shows Him gratitude.” It should also be done at a wage that’s agreeable to employer and employee to maximize the employee’s usefulness and value, not one proclaimed by Big Labor influence and government edict.