The president in his State of the Union address made raising the minimum wage a focal point for 2014. Like most liberals, President Barack Obama hasn’t the slightest idea of the investment, blood, sweat and tears it takes to open and run a business.

Perhaps the minimum wage is low, but the minimum wage was never intended to be a living wage. Its purpose was to provide a route for youth to get work experience. If you have no work experience, what on earth makes you think you are worth more than minimum wage?

If you haven’t noticed most of the “good-paying” manufacturing jobs have gone to China. Until our government has the common sense to offer some real incentives, these jobs will not come back.

Think about it, wouldn’t it make more sense to give tax breaks and cut regulations to encourage corporations to bring their manufacturing plants back, than to hand out countless billions in welfare, food stamps and other government subsidizes?

I’ll wager that if companies were given a 20-year exemption on taxes and regulations were rolled back to 2006 levels, there would be far more income tax paid by newly employed taxpayers than the combined costs of all the exemptions.

Did you ever wonder why your boss works 60, 70 hours a week and rarely takes a day off? You’ll say he’s just greedy or he does not trust us. Trust plays a factor, but the real reason is to keep payroll costs down so that he can keep the doors open.

Liberals do not understand how capitalism works. Work your butt off and you may make it, or you may go broke. You don’t expect the government to bail you out. However, it would be nice if the government wasn’t the single biggest obstacle to success.

So what’s a young person to do? My advice is take that minimum wage job and work your butt off. If there are no jobs, a college degree is not worth the paper it’s printed on. If you are good, the boss will notice. If you are really good some other business or corporate officer may notice.

If you don’t get a raise, ask what it will take to get one. Listen carefully and follow the advice. Ignore other employees who will accuse you of brown-nosing.

However, after a year you are still working for minimum wage, take a good look at yourself. Are you always on time? Do you always do your best, or do you skate when no one is watching? Do you follow all policies? Are you always properly groomed? Do you bad mouth your employer? Do you call in sick too often, especially Fridays and Mondays? Have you ever came to work hungover or stoned?

If you answered yes to any of the questions, you have your answer.

Jobs and raises should not be the government’s responsibility. You and you alone hold the keys to success.

No one owes you a job!

 

Don Sorensen

Albert Lea