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Summary: "The paradox of past minimum wage increases is that while these increases were often championed by politicians claiming a desire to help "unskilled" or "low-skilled" American workers, these policies have had the perverse effect of increasing unemployment among the very individuals they were intended to help. Therefore, the Democratic Congress' economic policies have actually made it harder for unskilled workers to find employment and have destroyed, rather than created, opportunity and upward economic mobility.

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Summary: "The increase for high school dropouts is far greater than for people who are high school grads (rising from 4.5% to 10.5%), for those with some college (3.6% to 8.0%), or for those with a college degree (2.1% to 5.0%) during that time. In real terms, according to BLS, nearly 3.3 million people who did not complete high school or who graduated but did not go to college have lost their jobs since July 2007. What accounts for this disparity? As Donald Boudreaux, a former economics professor, suggested in 2006: employers directly respond to higher labor costs. Boudreaux wrote: '[w]e don't know exactly how, or exactly by how much, employers as a group respond to higher minimum wages—but the theoretical case that they do respond in ways unfavorable to low-skilled employees is too powerful to dismiss.' "

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Summary: "In 2006, the Democrats campaigned on a promise to increase the minimum wage as part of their "Six for '06" agenda. In 2007, the new Democratic majority pushed through a $2.10 (or nearly 41%) increase in the minimum wage, phased in over three years beginning on July 24, 2007. When Congress passed this increase, the nation's unemployment rate was relatively low at 4.4%. Since then, it has increased steadily, peaking at 10.1% last October [2009]."

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Paraphrase: According to the information submitted by the BLS, in 1974, Congress enacted a minimum wage increase and the month prior to the increase unemployment was 5.1%. Thereafter, unemployment immediately began to rise, peaking at 9.0% just 13 months later.

Next, in 1978, Congress increased the minimum wage again. At the time of the first increase, unemployment was 6.4%. When the final increase was implemented, in 1981, unemployment was 7.5% and it increased to 10.8% by the end of the next year.

Once again, in 1990, Congress enacted another minimum wage increase. The month before unemployment was 5.2%. With the increase, unemployment eventually peaked at 7.8%.

Furthermore, in 1996, when unemployment was 5.2%, Congress enacted another minimum wage increase. This is the only minimum wage increase in 40 years that did not cause a drastic change in unemployment.

Finally, in 2007, Congress enacted the latest increase (phased in over three years, 2007-2009). After each of the three incremental increases (in 2007, 2008 and 2009), unemployment increased.

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Paraphrase: When increases in minimum wage laws are passed by Congress, they cause employers to eliminate entry-level jobs, which in turn takes away valuable on the job experience from potential workers who wish to move up the economic ladder.

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Paraphrase: Many politicians in Washington have blamed the economic downturn of 2007 on Wall Street and unrestricted capitalism. However, the politicians are really overlooking the facts in favor of saying a political narrative.

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Quote: "An entry-level job that pay's minimum wage is not just about wages. It is also about the skill and experience that an employee will gain. For those who are not seeking further education, this job, and the experience that comes with it, are critical to gaining the skills necessary to move up to a higher paying job. "

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Quote: "Since 1970, Congress has enacted five minimum wage increases. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, unemployment rose dramatically immediately after four of those increases."

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Quote: "Generally speaking, economists believe that a minimum wage leads to higher unemployment for 'unskilled' workers."

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Raising Minimum Wage Increases Unemployment

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Raising Minimum Wage Increases Unemployment

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