Tag: labor
Minimum wage laws deny low-skilled workers their autonomy
March 20, 2023 | Post
Do minimum wage laws help low-skilled workers? No. Workers are thrown out of work if they cannot produce more than the minimum wage stipulates. If the minimum wage is $15/hour and a worker can only produce $13/hour worth of goods, they will not be hired since no profit-seeking employer would employ someone at a loss.
The less work required, the happier we’ll be
March 8, 2017 | Post
Jobs are the means, not the ends in themselves.
Cutting legal immigration won’t help low-skilled American workers
February 28, 2017 | Post
Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Perdue (R-GA) recently introduced the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act. If it were to become law, RAISE would cut legal immigration by 50 percent over the next ten years by reducing green cards for family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, slashing refugees, and […]
So did Obamanomics work or not?
January 29, 2017 | Post
How to evaluate the economic record of Barack Obama? To even begin answering, it’s necessary to go beyond just counting the number of jobs created during his presidency (10 million) or calculating the average growth rate (1.5%) or even looking at something more wonky like the labor force participation rate.
Can states forcibly unionize small businesses?
January 29, 2017 | Post
Imagine that you run a family daycare out of your home. You have no direct connection to the state government, but its bureaucrats decide that because you lack an “organized voice” as a profession, they’re going to appoint a union representative to speak on your behalf.
America changed, and the Rust Belt failed to adapt
January 27, 2017 | Post
On Friday, January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. His victory in the 2016 election was a surprise to many, and his success in the so called Rust Belt made it happen. Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania all went to Trump, something that hadn’t happened for a Republican […]
Turning away Cuban refugees is a victory for Cuba's dictatorship
January 13, 2017 | Post
For 50 years, America has offered an escape hatch for victims of the Castro regime; now President Obama is slamming it shut.
How to get millions of people working for you
January 8, 2017 | Post
“The real price of everything, what everything really costs to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it.” — Adam Smith
4 New Year's resolutions for the Trump administration
January 3, 2017 | Post
Trump doesn’t seem like the type for self-improvement, but here are four unsolicited recommendations anyway.
Trump’s ban on immigration from certain countries is illegal
December 19, 2016 | Post
For almost a decade, Congress debated creating an immigration system free from discrimination by nationality, country of birth, or country of residence. President-elect Trump, however, now proposes to discriminate unlawfully against certain foreign nationals on the basis of the same protected grounds without any legislation from Congress.
How to get your progressive friends to understand the minimum wage
December 16, 2016 | Post
Early proponents of the minimum wage advocated it not in spite of, but for its deleterious effects on minority populations.
How defending capitalism is like recycling
November 26, 2016 | Post
Recycling is one example of an action that we take in the present to benefit a group in the future.
Nativists created our immigration problems—they can’t fix them
November 25, 2016 | Post
Not only have their ideas failed on their terms, they have backfired, creating more lawlessness than before.
What happens when you raise the minimum wage?
November 13, 2016 | Post
California’s minimum wage is set to rise to $15 an hour by 2022.
5 ways market competition can reduce global poverty
October 17, 2016 | Post
Economic competition in functioning market economies it the best surefire way to reduce global poverty. That, and letting people leave poor countries for rich ones.
The co-bots are coming to fast food factories
October 16, 2016 | Post
“We’re going to need to see your birth certificate,” the manager said, making a notation on my employment application, “But you’re hired. Show up a 10 a.m. on Thursday for training.” I was too young and dumb to realize he was calling my bluff. I had to be 16 to take the job and I […]
Senator Tom Cotton and Rep. Mike Pompeo spread four myths about immigration
October 14, 2016 | Post
If we believe in liberty for migrants as well as Americans, we must grant them liberty peacefully to travel the world unmolested and to settle wherever they find homes to rent and enterprises to work for.
Low-Skilled Immigrants Are Still Not Harming Low-Skilled Natives
September 28, 2016 | Post
The introduction of low-skilled immigrants frees up time for native workers to improve their skills and move on to higher paying jobs. This is a desirable economic development from the migrant, as well as the native, laborers perspective.
No, Unions Don't Increase Everyone's Wages
September 24, 2016 | Post
Unions leverage special government-granted powers (e.g., unique exemptions from antitrust laws) allowing current employees to prevent competition from others willing to do the same work for less.
When Jobs Kill Wealth
September 4, 2016 | Post
A focus on jobs missing the forest for the trees. We should be focused on creating wealth, not maximizing employment.
Where the Candidates Stand on Immigration
July 2, 2016 | Post
Is there any issue that divides people more than immigration? It’s an emotional topic that pits competing factions between and within parties against each other. As a result, it’s a high-profile issue this election cycle. Where do the candidates stand? In the new Learn Liberty video below, George Mason University Professor Donald Boudreaux addresses where […]
3 Myths About Immigrants You Probably Grew up Believing
May 21, 2016 | Post
There is perhaps no public policy issue that has more misinformation around it than immigration. Because immigrants (except for naturalized citizens) can’t vote, they make for a favorite political scapegoat for a stagnant economy, meager job creation, and slow wage growth. Immigrants and Economic Growth In the new Learn Liberty video below, Texas Tech Professor […]
Open Letter, Part 2: Minimum Wage Laws Are Immoral
May 20, 2016 | Post
Editor’s Note: This is part 2 of an open letter from Prof. Howard Baetjer to a friend who commented on one of his Facebook posts about minimum wage laws. You can view part 1 here.Baetjer and his friend, Adam, look at the minimum wage issue from very different perspectives, so Baetjer wrote an open letter. […]
Shouldn’t Big Businesses Just Be Nicer?
May 16, 2016 | Post
A small group of workers walked out at Walmart on Black Friday 2012, and the company has been for a few decades now a leading emblem of what is supposedly wrong with the modern global economy. Shouldn’t Walmart just be more generous? Not necessarily. First, the managers of corporations are answerable to their shareholders. This […]