One of the reasons this country continues to fall behind others in terms of education and productivity is that there are fewer and fewer incentives for young people to actually put in the work required to truly excel in a field.
When every student who runs a race gets a medal, there is no reason to push oneself to go faster than the others. The same is true in the job field.
On Thursday, fast food workers in several cities across the nation went on strike for a raise in wages, specifically for an increase to $15 an hour. If granted, such an increase would
probably do more harm than good, not only to the striking workers but to the country as a whole.
Fast food jobs and others like them are not really meant to be careers. Sure there are a select few that make their way up the ranks, but by and large those that work there rarely make it beyond the local franchise. Such jobs are meant to be stepping stones, something to allow one to make a little money while preparing for bigger and better things.
Starting workers at a high wage not only makes them unmotivated to pursue true careers but also makes them much less likely to go the extra mile in the current position, resulting is poor service for the customer.
What’s more, in this age of doing more with less, such a dramatic wage increase would likely force many franchise owners to cut personnel, thereby increasing the burden on those that remain.
So, while a raise in the nation’s minimum wage may be in order, paying fast food workers $15 an hour could have a calamitous effect, resulting in empty universities, higher unemployment, an even unhappier workforce and an intellectually, ethically and economically devastated nation.