ghost 9 wrote:Increase minimum wage, increase inflation. Basic economics. Businesses will not yield on their potential profits, and trying to ask them nicely to do so is pointless. Either make it socialist and force them to be nice, or try to create incentives for higher wages. If you increase minimum wage as the current economy is, you'll break it in half. Whether accepted or not, we're still in a recession; with a stock market bubble no less, and a fractured housing market economy. Prices are going up for houses because INVESTORS are buying them, not because consumers are. If they can sell the houses they're investing in, then you can say the housing market is fixed, but not before.
Stop applying basic economics to complicated globalized economies in the world. Your basic economics don't work in complex, united, and flucuating economies that all the major developed countries have.
US's inflation is 1.6%, and minimum wage is currently 7.55$
Japan's inflation is 1.3%, while their minimum wage ranges from 8$-10.16$(depends which province/city you reside in)
Australia's inflation is 2.7%, while their minimum wage is 15$ (15.30 USD)
Ireland's inflation is -0.1% and their minimum wage is 8.69 Euros (11.09 USD)
Canada's inflation is 1.5%, while their minimum wage is 11$.
France's inflation is 0.9%, while their minimum wage is 9.53 Euros(11-13 USD)
The United Kingdom's inflation is 1.9%, while their minimum wage is 6.31 Euros (7-9 USD)
China's inflation is 2-2.5%, while their minimum wage ranges from 7 Yen to 15 Yen (1-5 USD)
Vietnam's inflation rate is 4.65%, while their minimum wage ranges from 1.05-3 million VD (50.25-112.85 USD per month)
So, as evidence is presented right now, you can see that minimum wage doesn't really affect inflation rates. You have countries with incredibly low minimum wages (Vietnam, China, UK) but have high inflations, you have countries with good minimum wages (Japan, Ireland, and France) but have decent to low inflation rates.
The fact that the American workforce has worked so hard and increased productivity so much and put a lot of money into the US economy, they would be making 24 dollars an hour as a minimum wage, if minimum wage kept up with productivity. The economy would obviously be able to handle 24 dollars an hour, since it is in ratio to productivity.
It's cute you nit pick with your basic economics, but it's time to grow up and look at evidence and facts, look at examples of other countries' raising their minimum wage and seeing how much their economy grows, expands, and profits from. Even states and cities within the United States who have raised minimum wage have seen dramatic expansions into economy and creation of new jobs and spiking profits for small and big businesses. Those are the facts. Starting using them.