Chicago Passes "Living Wage" Law, Setting New Minimum Wage of $0.00/Hour As Companies Flee City

Ten dollars per hour, plus $3 per hour in fringe benefits, by 2010.

Wal-Mart's against it.

So, in fact, is Mayor Daley, who has this crazy idea that the actual wage imposed by the ordinance -- $0.00/hour -- is actually not a "living wage" at all.

And also opposed to it are many black business owners in Chicago, who have this crazy idea that artifically raising the cost of labor may cause them to stop hiring people, and maybe shutter up their shops altogether. [The last bit noted, oddly enough, on NPR, not in the article cited.]

Still, passing the law makes progressives feel good, and that is, in the end, the entire point of governance.

"Passing a law which will wreak great havoc upon the public weal is a just and noble thing indeed, because the guiding principle of democracy should be 'If it feels all right, let's do it all night.'"

-- Thomas Jefferson, from Stuff Jefferson Said (3rd edition, revised), in turn quoting from Stuff The Artist Formerly Known As Prince Said On, Like, At Least Nine of His Songs, 2nd edition.

Thanks to yls.

posted by Ace at 05:08 PM

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