by Ronald Bailey.Good intentions, but a near total failure as an anti-poverty policy. Both California and New York have just adopted measures to raise their
minimum wages to $15 an hour over the next few years. Los Angeles Mayor
Eric Garcetti hailed
the increase, declaring, "Today California leads the nation once again,
passing a historic ... MORE
by Andrew Napolitano. What if the latest craze among the big-government crowd in both major political parties is to use the power of government to force employers to pay some of their employees more than their services are worth to the employers? What if this represents an intrusion by government into the employer-employee ... MORE
A favorite tactic of control freaks. Slate columnist Daniel Engber, who was recently "shocked" to discover that workplace drug testing is still a thing, wonders: What's up with that? He finds, as I did back in 2002, that there's little evidence drug testing is a sound investment for employers: As was the case 30 years ago, testing has no solid base of evidence, ... MORE
The right-to-work proliferates. My first job as a teenager back in 1976 was working as a blue-suited Andy Frain usher at sporting events at places like Wrigley Field in Chicago. When I took the job, I was required to join the local union and pay dues. My co-workers and I used to endlessly complain that the union was snatching money from our paychecks ... MORE
by Ali Meyer.The bitter fruits of hope and change. 1,154,000 fewer Americans are working today than six years ago, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In January 2008, 146,378,000 Americans 16 and over were employed, and now in January 2014, 145,224,000 are employed, a difference of 1,154,000. 91,455,000 Americans 16 or ... MORE
by Steve Tobak. “Why Christmas is Destroying Corporate America.”
That’s right. A well-known blogger really tried to make that argument
on a very popular website three years ago. Unfortunately, my blog was
also on that site at the time. I remember thinking: Crap, there goes the
neighborhood … and my credibility. Then again, the woman ... MORE
A problem that thinks its a solution. Politicians claim they make our lives better by passing laws. But laws rarely improve life. They go wrong. Unintended consequences are inevitable. Most voters don't pay enough attention to notice. They read headlines. They watch the Rose Garden signing ceremonies and hear the pundits declare that ... MORE
by James Street. I began working at the ripe old age of 15. I refereed paintball on
the weekends. And it sucked. It was hot, stinky, I wasn't a big fan of
most of my fellow employees, my boss was a jerk, and I got paid $6 an
hour. I only worked 12 hours a week or so, and being a single teenager,
Uncle Sam raped me royally on taxes. One would think that such a ... MORE
To cut employee hours and add surcharge to the bill. President Obama's election victory ensured his Affordable Care Act would remain the centerpiece of his first term in power - but that has left some business owners baulking at the extra cost Obamcare will bring. Florida based restaurant boss John Metz, who runs approximately 40 Denny's and ... MORE
Election results begin being felt. A Las Vegas business owner with 114 employees fired 22 workers today, apparently as a direct result of President Obama’s re-election. “David” (he asked to remain anonymous for obvious reasons) told Host Kevin Wall on 100.5 KXNT that “elections have consequences” and that “at the end of the day, I need to survive.” ... MORE