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Why Minimum Wage Hurts People · Right Now Hot Takes

• 0:06
  Welcome to the show gotta love that energy Love
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  it. Welcome to the show right now hot takes where
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  we are unfiltered bold and Right now with our
• 0:17
  news and what we're talking about. I'm your host
• 0:20
  Jim Rand Got a great episode today folks. This
• 0:24
  one is going to be controversial but first The
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  heart of this show is love of country. And I
• 0:31
  say it every time, I love the American way. The
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  promise that if you work hard, build skills,
• 0:37
  and create value, you can rise and build a better
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  life. That's the heart of this community here.
• 0:43
  Today, we're talking about something that affects
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  you 20 -somethings and entry -level workers directly.
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  Minimum wage laws. I know this one can be emotional.
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  A lot of good people on both sides of the aisle
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  support raising the minimum wage thinking it
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  helps the little guy. I respect that intention.
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  But I'm going to disagree with both sides here
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  and show why the truth is that minimum wage laws,
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  even well -meaning ones, hurt the very people
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  they claim to help. And why abolishing them and
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  letting the free market work is the better, more
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  moral path. And it's kinder to the employers
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  and their ability to expand their business. And
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  ultimately, it helps entry -level workers too.
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  Let's break it down. I get it. As a 20 -something,
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  everything feels expensive. You're starting out,
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  maybe no fancy degree yet, just trying to get
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  that first real job and gain experience. It seems
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  like raising the minimum wage would give you
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  a fair shot and more money in your pocket. It
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  feels compassionate. Politicians love to stand
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  up and say they're fighting for workers. But
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  good intentions don't pay the bills if those
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  intentions price you out of a job altogether.
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  We have to look at results, not just slogans.
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  Here's the reality. Minimum wage is a price control
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  on labor. When government forces businesses to
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  pay above what a job is worth to them, especially
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  for entry -level positions, they hire fewer people.
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  They automate faster. They cut hours or they
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  simply don't create that first rung on the ladder.
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  So who benefits the most from no minimum wage,
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  high schoolers, 15 and 16 year olds, recent grads,
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  and anyone just starting out with little experience?
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  These are the workers who need that first opportunity
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  the most. Without a mandated wage floor, businesses
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  can afford to bring them on, give them training,
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  and let them prove themselves. That first job
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  becomes possible again. Studies and real -world
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  examples show this over and over. Higher mandated
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  wages reduce employment opportunities for the
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  least skilled and youngest workers. You end up
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  with fewer jobs, not higher wages across the
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  board. Here's the hook, the part almost nobody
• 3:01
  wants to say out loud. Looking for more great
• 3:04
  storytelling? Check out History in Decades, the
• 3:07
  podcast that makes history feel alive and relevant.
• 3:10
  Each episode walks you through one decade at
• 3:12
  a time, from the early American colonies to the
• 3:15
  modern world. Hosted by Jim Rand, it's engaging,
• 3:18
  insightful, and full of the lessons we can still
• 3:20
  learn from the past. The link is in the show
• 3:23
  notes, or search for History in Decades on Apple,
• 3:26
  Spotify, or wherever you listen, and download
• 3:29
  it today. Raising the minimum wage doesn't lift
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  people up. It locks the door on the very first
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  job that could have changed their life. Now,
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  contrast that with the free market. When there's
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  no artificial floor, businesses compete for workers.
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  As you build skills, prove reliability, and create
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  more value, your wages naturally rise. That's
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  how real mobility happens, through opportunity,
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  experience, and productivity, not government
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  decree. No real mobility can happen like the
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  paying of a middle manager for an hourly best
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  bet. It gives a high schooler or 15 -year -old
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  the chance to start somewhere, learn, and climb.
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  Voluntary cooperation is what drives this. It
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  simply means two free people making an agreement
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  that benefits both sides. An employer offers
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  a wage, a young worker accepts the job because
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  it's better than their other options. No one
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  is forced. The teenager gets experience and a
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  paycheck. The business gets affordable help while
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  training future talent. Government coercion,
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  forcing a wage that distorts that agreement,
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  often leaves the young worker with no agree -
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  For you 20 -somethings and even younger workers
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  just starting out, this is especially harmful.
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  That first job teaches punctuality, teamwork,
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  customer service, skills that lead to better
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  paying roles later. Price you out of that and
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  you stay stuck longer. Mandated wages sound nice,
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  but they block the very path to the middle class.
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  At its core, this is about human dignity and
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  freedom. God gave us abilities to use productively.
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  Letting people freely contract for their labor
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  respects that. It builds character, responsibility,
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  and real earning power over time. Minimum wage
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  laws treat young workers as unable to negotiate
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  for themselves and businesses as exploiters.
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  That's not compassionate. It's corrosive to opportunity.
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  I'm pro abolishing the minimum wage because the
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  evidence and principles line up. Free markets
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  have delivered far more prosperity and mobility
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  than price controls ever have. Conservatives,
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  and anyone who loves freedom, should be willing
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  to say this even when it's unpopular. Young people
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  don't fall for the easy political promises. Bet
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  on yourself and the American system that rewards
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  effort and skill building. Get that first job,
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  work hard, level up, support policies that expand
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  real opportunity instead of restricting it. That's
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  how you win and how our country stays the land
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  of opportunity. Folks, I speak my opinion and
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  what I believe to be true. That is why I always
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  say I love this nation too much to sugarcoat
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  it. What do you think? If you enjoyed this content,
• 6:19
  please do us a great favor, rate and review on
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  iTunes or Spotify, and share this episode with
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  a friend. Subscribe for more unfiltered truth.
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  I'll see you next time on Right Now Hot Cakes.