Minimum sages.(Between The Lines)

ITEM: Democratic presidential candidates were asked by the Associated Press on January 29, "What increases, if any, do you favor in the $5.15 an hour federal minimum wage?" An abbreviated summary of their responses follows: Wesley Clark "will raise" the minimum wage "in steps to $7 per hour by 2007" as part of his plan to ensure that "lower-income families are rewarded for their work"; Howard Dean favors "increasing to $7 during my presidency"; John Edwards wants an increase "of at least $1.50"; John Kerry said that, "to begin with, I support increasing [it] by $1.50 over the next year"; Dennis Kucinich would raise it to "over $8.50"; Joseph Lieberman would increase it to $7 an hour, saying, "Workers need to make enough to have a decent life"; and Al Sharpton "would campaign for a $2 raise in minimum wage."

BETWEEN THE LINES: Why not wave a magic wand, set the minimum wage at $100 an hour, and make everyone rich? Well, maybe next election.

In reality, of course, minimum wage laws hurt the economy to the extent that they make labor more expensive than the free market dictates that labor is worth. Unskilled workers are especially hurt when minimum-wage laws make them too expensive to hire, denying them the opportunity to acquire the job skills that will make them more valuable, and therefore worth more money, to employers. ...