Art Carden, Associate Professor of Economics at Samford University and Senior Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, observes that as crime rates rise in major cities, leaders like Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson complain about a lack of employment opportunities for the youth. Carden points out the reason for this problem.

Maybe it’s because so many people are all fools and knaves, but if economics teaches us anything, it’s to look at people’s incentives before we examine their mental and moral fiber. After a quick internet search, I learned that the minimum wage in Illinois is $13 per hour. If legislation makes Chicago youth unemployable, why should we be surprised that no one will employ them? Chicago – and cities around the country – need to repeal minimum wages and reduce the regulatory hurdles teenagers have to clear to find work.

These aren’t dead-end “McJobs,” as they are sometimes derisively called. They’re important opportunities to learn how to function in the labor market and, importantly, how to serve others. One of the most important things about working for pay in a service enterprise is that it takes you off the throne. It makes you contend with the fact that you are not the star of the cosmic narrative. Other people matter, other people have preferences and problems, and it is presumptuous to expect them to ignore those preferences and problems and do what you want for no other reason than because you want it done. It turns out that the best way to do what you want is to govern your selfish passions and help other people do what they want.

The problem is leftist politicians despise competitive labor markets as fundamentally unfair. They see lower-paying minimum wage jobs as problematic rather than as an opportunity.

Consider a real-world example. This article has sat in my “drafts” folder for a very, very long time. I wrote the very first draft of this article more than a decade ago at a McDonald’s and revised it one time at India Palace (one of my favorite restaurants in Memphis, where I was living at the time). The opportunity to cooperate with the owners and staff at India Palace freed up time I would otherwise spend on food preparation and allowed me to concentrate on something I enjoy and do relatively well, namely, writing articles like this one. The owners and staff at the restaurant were able to earn higher incomes. I’m able to earn a higher income. We’re both better off.

Contrary to what leftist politicians believe, the “dead end” jobs are anything but.

People look at “dead end” jobs and so-called “McJobs” and say one isn’t going to earn enough to support a family flipping burgers. This misses the point. A “McJob” gives someone the opportunity to make connections and learn and practice valuable skills like punctuality and reliability – the kinds of “soft skills” that can lead one to new opportunities. And regardless, it’s easier to feed and support a family at some wage than at no wage.

Read the whole article here.