Monday, April 14, Mary Fallin signed a bill prohibiting all cities state-wide from setting their own minimum wage.
This issue has now been turned into a hotly-debated campaign issue. Joe Dorman, the democratic candidate running against Mary Fallin for Oklahoma Governor, chalks this action up as another out-of-touch-with-reality move by the Governor.
“Mary Fallin doesn’t even know what the minimum wage is, and she could care less what hard-working Oklahomans actually make under her ‘let them eat cake’ reign,” Dorman said.
Interestingly, it is Fallin’s position that the increase of minimum wage from $7.25 to the proposed $10.10 is what is not in line with reality.
“They believe that on this issue, like on so many others, the government can just mandate prosperity and growth with no consideration of economic reality,” Fallin said.
While both parties accuse the other side of living in a fantasy world, they also both report incorrect statistics.
While the two parties of the government cannot agree on policy questions, the rule of law or even constitutional interpretation; at least they can agree on reporting inaccuracies.
“Most minimum-wage workers are young, single people working part-time or entry-level jobs. Many are high school or college students living with their parents in middle-class families,” Fallin says.
Responding with the polar opposite the view point from across the aisle is:
“The claim that minimum-wage workers are ‘generally young, single people working part time or entry level jobs’ is simply not true. Rather, most are older people working low-paying or multiple jobs just to get by,” Dorman said.
However neither side gave a specific study or report they were quoting, possibly because neither side had a report to quote. The actual statistics show that neither party is entirely accurate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has the amount of young and old minimum wage workers at nearly half-and-half.
However, getting technical, Fallin is correct by a whopping .4% percent margin. That’s right 50.4% of minimum-wage workers are 24 and under while 49.6% are 25 and older.
For comparison, the gap between percentages of males to females in the United States is a wider margin.
Although this has been played up as a major issue, both sides are arguing points they cannot confirm. The economic impact of minimum wage increases or caps is being argued by politicians without regard to evidence.
However there is even disagreement in the form of empirical evidence.
“Some studies, notably those lead by UMass Amherst economist Arin Dube, argue that there are no adverse employment effects from small increases in the minimum wage. Other studies, notably those lead by University of California Irvine economist David Neumark, argue there is an adverse effect.” From the Washington Post.
At this point decisions are being made and enforced without the discussion being closed. Time alone will be able tell which of these “facts” is truly undisputable.
