A Redditor asked a very insightful question regarding minimum wage and inflation question today which promoted me to write an answer that I thought worth sharing with the wider community.
Original Question (direct link):
Every year, prices rise — food, rent, insurance, even the cost of coffee.
Everything adjusts for inflation except people’s paychecks.It’s strange that the system can automatically protect profits but not workers. If inflation affects everyone, why does the burden fall only on those earning the least?
Maybe it’s not just economics — maybe it’s about who the system is built to serve.
My response (original link):
Because big businesses are campaign contributors, rather than their lowest paid employees.
Absent being able to write checks to campaigns, the solution would be for these employees (and anyone that is sympathetic to them) to show up and vote en masse in the primaries for whichever candidate is the MOST vocal about increasing minimum wage.
When that candidate inevitably fails to get enough traction, vote for the remaining candidate in the general election who is most aligned with the middle and lower class.
Voting in the primaries is especially important because that shows the candidates what issues really resonate with the voters. If enough people are voting for the “pro-increase the minimum wage” candidate, the powers that be may sit up and take notice.
I would plead AGAINST withholding votes for people who don’t meet your criteria. Unfortunately in this two-party system, withholding your vote for the “most acceptable” candidate in the field can mean that the least acceptable candidate to you and your interests wins enough votes to triumph and hold back workers rights for even longer.
This unfortunately means voting for the major-party candidate who is the closest to your ideals, even if they don’t meet your ideals exactly. One day this could be solved with ranked-choice voting, but this is not a reality in most US elections, and definitely not in any elections at the Federal level.