Sheldon Richman on the $15 Minimum Wage Movement
(The All-Nite Images/Flickr)
How can you tell an American progressive from an American radical? A progressive laments the condition of working people and proposes to further empower the government. A radical laments the condition of working people and proposes to empower individuals by diminishing the power of government. And the movement to raise the minimum wage to $15 shows the difference between progressives and radicals, writes Sheldon Richman. Despite good intentions, calling on government to set a minimum wage merely affirms the power of politicians, bureaucrats, and the ruling elite generally while leaving low-skilled people dependent on their legendary benevolence.