Minimum-wage laws are popular. In 2014, four states (Alaska, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Arkansas) voted to increase their states’ minimum wage by large margins. People in favor of raising the minimum wage argue that it will help poor and low-income families. Most people, me included, want higher wages for everybody. However, mandating a higher minimum wage as a way to improve the economic conditions of poor families is suspect.
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About the Author
Michael Rathbone was a policy researcher at the Show-Me Institute. He is a native of Saint Louis and a 2008 graduate of Saint Louis University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering. In 2010, Michael obtained an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis with concentrations in finance and health care management. At the Show-Me Institute, Michaels policy areas included the state budget, taxes, public pensions, and public subsidies. He also delivered lectures to area high school students about the Great Depression from an economic perspective. Michael lives in Fenton.
