The Democrats’ $15/hour minimum wage bill is a Band-Aid approach to allegedly counter some of the inequitable results of our economic system. It sounds so simple that many voters will buy it, but every economics student can tell us why this will fail. Many Democratic politicians know this, too. They vote for it anyway. It gets them votes.

There are hundreds of such Band-Aid type programs at the local, state, and federal level allegedly aimed at the same thing. As a whole, they are no longer working. Inequality in America is higher than ever. Throwing even more money at the problem this way will not help.

Of course, the Republican solution of using the long defunct theory of tax breaks for the rich and trickle-down economics is also a farce.

Ecological economics and steady-state economics explains why this is happening now and how futile it is to try to patch the present growth-market system. It explains how the present system has now run its 200-year course and how we must now evolve to a steady-state system, which would eliminate much of the inequality that has naturally arisen. Instead of going up against the rich and powerful and doing the hard work of transition, the politicians continue to take the easy way out and play politics.

Meanwhile, the state and businesses will start to lay people off and/or pass on the $15/hour cost to taxpayers and consumers. The economic system and the environment will continue to decline.

-- Gerald Manata - Paso Robles

-- Gerald Manata - Paso Robles