I think I’m becoming a true believer.
The ability to raise wages lies in the hands of both consumers and companies. Suppose consumers began tipping a dollar to every employee who works for a business. A checkout clerk at Wal-Mart would make $20 to $30 an hour from this form of exchange.
Yet I have never heard any defenders of the poor advocate such a system. This consumer behavior would raise wages for the poor ten times more than the few cents or dollars suggested by minimum wage laws. Consumers would have the ability to improve the welfare of low-skilled workers directly.
Though I’m not aware of any actual examples, I could easily imagine some non-western “primitive” society where they had the local equivalent of tip jars at the Wal-Mart and people actually used them. Not only would it create a vibrant economy, with a lot of little rivers of money flowing where they will, but it would also be indicative of a caring loving people. I hesitate to think how most people I know would respond to the same thing.
