The Next Time They Tell You That Raising the Minimum Wage Costs Jobs

We are being lied to by the right wing when they say, as conservative leaders like Ron Paul insists, that raising the minimum wage costs jobs. The above graph shows all of the times that the minimum wage was at least partially raised,according to the Department of Labor, corresponding to the total jobs created as recorded by the St. Louis Federal Reserve. Yes, a purist could identify a few instances where the minimum wage was followed by a loss of jobs, but such a person would have to be pretty selective about their data. Indeed, we know that the right wing is just that.
The data for 1978 to the present is the most reliable. Before then, the minimum wage was raised differentially for different sectors. Regardless, that detail is not part of the conservative argument. As ideological purists, the right wing simply contends that raising the minimum wage costs jobs. This graph demonstrates that that claim is simply not true.the next time you hear this ridiculous argument, please feel free to use this graph.
Not raising the minimum wage is simply irresponsible when wages have stagnated over the last 30 years.