
The Seattle Minimum Wage Study Is Utter B.S - swills
http://fortune.com/2017/06/27/seattle-minimum-wage-study-results-impact-15-dollar-uw/
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dlwdlw
Arguments over studies only work when both sides believe believe "science" to
be the grant arbitrator of quality. They don't work particularly well when
ramifications are complex and the results viewed as good or bad depending on
the lenses worn.

IMO the core issue is specific to the US so European successes are completely
irrelevant. The lack of pressure for a higher minimum raise games from
immigrants being willing to work less by creating sub economies with a lower
cost of living.

Their cultural software allows them to live comfortably in crowded conditions
(lowering rent), and their supermarkets often are much cheaper and sometimes
even fresher. (Cost is saved by lack of quality control. Again, the cultural
software comes with knowledge and experience picking good food as well as
cooking it. Chinese people for example rarely like to eat medium rare meat.
Only the US has a high enough quality control culture where things are eaten
raw for their natural taste instead of being hammered with strong (delicious)
spices, sauces.

It may even be temporary! The conditions are put up with because they've
invested heavily into their children and family. Their children are well
equipped to find the best jobs with the best moats. (Software engineering
nowadays) AND there is a cultural impetus to support the family!

The US locals are unwilling to accept these compromises. Reasons range from
sense of superiority to fear of bad meat. This is the equivalent of buying
high end headphones and then being "unable to go back" locking yourself in a
higher cost of living situation.

Immigration forcefully shines a light on the world, something that the well
off often prefer not to see. It shines a light on how shallow certain
"necessities" are.

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gamechangr
This sounds so partisan. "Free-market fanatics around the country flung praise
at the study"

This economic issue is far too important to allow it become a Left/Right
conversation.

More information:

[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/business/economy/seattle-...](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/business/economy/seattle-
minimum-wage.html)

