Both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate want to raise the minimum wage in exchange for votes. But since their plans are so vastly different, neither side is likely to get the needed 60 vote majority.

I am always amazed at how popular wage controls are. Proponents whine that nobody can earn a living on minimum wage. That may be true, but nor should they. I have long thought that bringing a child into the world when you are not capable to raise it is akin to child abuse. People that don't have the skills necessary to earn more than minimum wage shouldn't be living on their own to begin with, much less trying to raise a child. Minimum wage jobs are reserved for high school students and people with no job skills.

Speaking of job skills, lets take a look at just who it is that is earning minimum wage. Most of them are probably overpaid and underworked to begin with. I say that from a perspective of having NEVER earned just the bare minimum. I entered the work force at age 12 with a paper route. My base wage was probably below minimum, but I kept customers happy and earned quite a tidy little wage. I recognized early on that providing more value to the customer meant that they were willing to pay me more. Doing something so simple as not making them walk to the end of their driveway to get the morning paper sure kept me in an adequate supply of candy and baseball cards.

At 14, I worked the summer at an ice cream store. I used to pull double shifts from 7 to 11, before doing the bookkeeping for the night and dropping the deposit by the bank on my way home. I was capable of opening the store on my own, and closing it down by myself as well. On more than one occasion, I had to fill in at other stores because the employees there weren't capable of working unsupervised.

By the time I was 16, I was earning several dollars more than minimum wage working landscaping jobs. Since I had a driver's license much of the work included driving a company truck and pulling a trailer. Looking back on it now, I'm amazed at the responsibility I was given earned. Hell there's 40-year old adults to whom I wouldn't loan my truck today.

I guess my point is that it is up to the individual to give their employer value for his hour of work. Forcing employers to pay their people $7 per hour instead or $5 just means that employers are going to expect $7 of value. If this law passes and you're only capable of providing $5 of value, don't be surprised if you're out of work next year. If there are four of you making $5 an hour, the good news is that 3 of you are going to get raises. The bad news is that one of you is going to be fired, and the other three will be expected to pick up the slack. And even if you're willing to work for $5 an hour, tough luck. The government says that's illegal.