SF Chronicle Publishes My Anti-Minimum Wage LTE with Libertarian Affiliation

Discussion
1

Dear Everyone;
   
  A SF Chronicle editorial came out in support of an increase in the minimum wage without automatic increases. I wrote an anti-minimum wage LTE. The Chronicle printed it with my Libertarian affiliation.
   
  Ron Getty
  SF Libertarian
   
  http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/03/31/EDGTEI0P4O1.DTL
   
  Costly minimum wage
   
  Editor -- Your editorial support of an increased minimum wage without automatic increases is misguided ("A minimum raise,'' March 29). San Francisco has an $8.82 minimum wage. To hire a full-time worker, businesses must net $20,000 after mandatory matching taxes. An unhired worker suffers when the job this worker could perform doesn't generate $20,000 of net business income. The law bans them from being employed with less pay. To get around this, businesses hire capable workers "off the books" and pay them "under the table." Economic studies have shown for every 10 percent increase in minimum wage, there is a corresponding 2 percent drop in employment, and for women this can jump to 4 percent. The best way to help low-income laborers is to repeal restrictive minimum wage-laws and personal-income taxes. Then, lower the regressive state sales tax or put a floor of $100 on purchases where no sales tax is charged. RON GETTY Chair, Initiatives Committee Libertarian
Party San Francisco

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Dear Derek;

Thanks. Your commentez vous is correct and the op/ed I wrote on
Minimum wage said exactly that. Unfortunately the 150 word max
doesn't leave too much room for saying everything what needs to get
said.

This is the url to the California Libertarian Party web site and the
original op/ed piece on minimum wage and includes more on the topic
and who gets helped.

http://ca.lp.org/lp20060110.shtml

Ron Getty
SF Libertarian

--- In lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com, "Derek Jensen" <derekj72@...>
wrote:

Ron:

I like it. Not to mention that taking a low paying job earns

people

experience and builds skills which they can then use to obtain

much higher

paying jobs.

>
> Dear Everyone;
>
> A SF Chronicle editorial came out in support of an increase in

the minimum

> wage without automatic increases. I wrote an anti-minimum wage

LTE. The

> Chronicle printed it with my Libertarian affiliation.
>
> Ron Getty
> SF Libertarian
>
>
> http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?

file=/chronicle/archive/2006/03/31/EDGTEI0P4O1.DTL

>
> *Costly minimum wage*
>
> Editor -- Your editorial support of an increased minimum wage

without

> automatic increases is misguided ("A minimum raise,'' March

29). San

> Francisco has an $8.82 minimum wage. To hire a full-time worker,

businesses

> must net $20,000 after mandatory matching taxes. An unhired

worker suffers

> when the job this worker could perform doesn't generate $20,000

of net

> business income. The law bans them from being employed with less

pay. To get

> around this, businesses hire capable workers "off the books" and

pay them

> "under the table." Economic studies have shown for every 10

percent

> increase in minimum wage, there is a corresponding 2 percent

drop in

> employment, and for women this can jump to 4 percent. The best

way to

> help low-income laborers is to repeal restrictive minimum wage-

laws and

> personal-income taxes. Then, lower the regressive state sales

tax or put a

> floor of $100 on purchases where no sales tax is charged. RON

GETTY Chair,

> Initiatives Committee Libertarian Party San Francisco
>
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4

Ron,

Thanks for writing this letter and getting it published! I like your idea of a floor price for sales taxes. That would make the sales tax more of a luxury tax.

Kelly

5

Dear Kelly;
   
  Thanks. Now if we could only get the grand poobahs to agree to do the same. Since these are the same ding dongs who keep wanting to help low wage workers yet keep taxing the increases they legislate back to nothing net through sales taxes. D'OH!!!
   
  Ron Getty
  SF Libertarian

Kelly Simpson <KellySimpson@...> wrote:
  Ron,

Thanks for writing this letter and getting it published! I like your
idea of a floor price for sales taxes. That would make the sales tax
more of a luxury tax.

Kelly