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PaperclipPerfector  6d ago (text post)   20837 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of May 18, 2026

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I'm not sure that this is entirely true. Very low-skilled people are unemployable period, and lowering the pay rate doesn't do anything. For example, there's a guy I know who isn't the brightest, retired now but comes off as someone who was definitely in special education back in the 60s and 70s. He worked as a janitor at a local elementary school. In Pennsylvania the minimum wage is the Federal $7.25. Someone in his position would be making $22.62 this yer and $24.35 next year. Of course, that's because he's been there for 35 years, but even a new hire makes $16.60 on the current contract and $18.60 on the next. Grocery, retail, and fast food wages aren't much lower, even for 16-year-olds with no experience. The only exceptions I'm aware of are for people with disabilities, but that's more because they can only make so much before they lose their benefits. I don't think there is a significant population that's employable but for minimum wage laws.

In most places, inflation has effectively repealed minimum wage laws. However, other indirect regulatory and legal costs have accumulated that make people more expensive to hire.

Now that you mention it, when was the last time you even saw a minimum wage job? Even the convenience stores and McDonald's around me are offering well over the state minimums. It seems like it's one of those things that exists on paper but doesn't really come up anymore.

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