The Seven Shades

By Liza Mugambi, MIB San Francisco

She is BROWN, the color of her skin, smooth and dark cocoa, her identity, the one she is proud of with every glace at the mirror.

She is GREEN, very conservative, cautious with every step, protective of her emotions from the cruel world, but still gets to enjoy the better aspects life has to offer.

She is YELLOW, glows like the sun, radiant to everything around her, for it brings out her inner child and stays connected.

She is PINK, a woman, gentle, delicate and very feminine. Like a flower she wishes to be handled with care and given the attention she deserves.

She is RED, desires for passion, and dreams of romance. With every kiss, she craves for more, losing herself to the sensation of the magic touch. She wishes to be wanted, needed and to find true love.

She is BLACK, the other side of her. One you wouldn’t want to dive into for its an ocean full of secrets. Could be from pain, sadness, anger, revenge but who knows? She sits in silence, for her eyes always betray her.

Lastly, she is WHITE. Looking to find peace within her and for the people around her. She wishes for genuine happiness because for every smile and every hug, warms up a cold heart.

After the stormy rains comes out a rainbow. Beautiful and radiant to everyone who sees it, for it lights up the sky once more. Just like the rainbow, she too has the Seven Shades. Despite the hidden flaws lies a genuine and beautiful soul. She hopes to be just as radiant, and accepted the way she is.

 

Photo credit; Sun Nation. (n.d.). Brown Race. Retrieved from http://www.sun-nation.org/sun-brown.html

The Minimum Wage Fallacy

By Ram Sasidhar, MIB San Francisco

Every idea has consequences. And while its intentions may be honorable, the passing of time has proven that, in the long term, you cannot acquire positive results from a poorly-supported idea. The minimum wage is a classic example of both, an honorable intention and a bad idea.

Those who advocate strongly in favor of enforcing a minimum wage law often argue that an increase in the minimum wage will reduce income inequality and thereby alleviate poverty. One of the key issues in the current US presidential debate is about increasing the minimum wage from the current federal level of $7.25 to $12 and possibly even going up to $15 per hour. But believing that an increase in the minimum wage will reduce income inequality and alleviate poverty effectively misdiagnoses the underlying problem of poverty and does not address the economics behind it.

The largest cause of poverty in America is not low wages but lack of work altogether. According to U.S Census Bureau’s recent report, of the roughly 24 million working-age individuals below the poverty line in 2015, just 2.5 million had a full-time, year-round jobs. In contrast, 15 million non-workers who do not have a full time job, represent 63% of working-age people in poverty. This explains that full time, year-round jobs have clear effect on poverty level. Employers may cut back on hiring due to heftier labor costs incurred, due to a potential rise in the minimum wage. Thus, minimum wage comes with a negative trade-off: higher wages for some and fewer jobs for others result in an increase in unemployment and thereby an increase in poverty.

With 97 percent of full-time, year-round workers not in poverty policymakers should instead focus on breaking down barriers to employment. The cruel irony of the minimum wage is that it harms the very segments of our society that it is intended to help the most—the unskilled and inexperienced in the labor force.

In a free society, people should have the right to offer their services in the marketplace for whatever price they think is fair, in a competitive environment. It is by this process that productivity, wage rates, and prosperity are maximized. It should not be the government’s job to object to a low wage rate for a menial job. Government intervention in these matters distorts economic decision-making, misallocates scarce resources, and destroys personal liberty. If we are to remain a free society, we need to start trusting freedom, and fiercely guard our right to make our own choices about our own lives.

 

 

Source: Income and Poverty in the U.S.: 2015, U.S. Census Bureau
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/p60-256.pdf

Photo credit: Protestor; Clawson, L. (2016, October 27). Cook County minimum wage increase will give 200,000 workers a raise. Retrieved from http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/10/27/1587587/-Cook-County-minimum-wage-increase-will-give-200-000-workers-a-raise

Photo credit: Map; Madrak, S. (2012, April 17). Due For A Raise: Minimum Wage Worth Less Than During LBJ Era. Retrieved from http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/minimum-wage-worth-less-during-lbj-er