Auchtoon!All Right, Mr. President — Bottom Line:
Originally published in the Ann Arbor News, Bay City Times, Flint Journal, Grand Rapids Press, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Kalamazoo Gazette, Muskegon Chronicle, Saginaw News
April 6, 2014
President Obama came to Michigan last week to push for an increase to the federal minimum wage. There are a lot of wonky economic reasons why this may or may not be a good idea. (I alluded to that in a cartoon I did a couple of months ago.) I know this could have a far-reaching impact on workers, business owners, consumers, investors, and so on. It will certainly influence summer and school jobs my kids have and are going to have.
But for me personally, the most direct, immediate, and compelling potential effect is this: When I go into Wendys and order a hamburger for my son, will I have to beg them not to put cheese on it and still have to watch every step of the process, or will a better-paid worker and more-engaged management guarantee a cheese-less hamburger? Because that is what would make me happy.
