Why not?

Yesterday, I received an email newsletter from my state representative in the Wisconsin legislature. In it, she informed me that she is introducing a bill to put the minimum wage at $15 per hour. Because I have tried before, I already know that it is not possible to argue this point from a perspective involving the laws of economics (they’re agnostic.) So, I've decided that it’s time to give them what they want, and more.

Even though my rep holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UW, and I’d be shocked to learn that she has ever taken even a single course in economics, I’m sure she is eminently qualified to set wage rates for all businesses. After all, it’s just common sense that all employers need to pay their workers more, and I don’t see any reason why my rep can’t be the one to tell everybody else what they should pay. It can’t be that hard, just pick a number that’s “fair.” And $31,200 per year sounds like a really fair rate to pay the newest and least experienced worker on your team. And since they know best what employers should pay for their labor, I think they should also set prices for those businesses as well. I mean, who would know better? 

History has proven how well a centrally planned economy works, so this too should be no problem. We just have every business out there that is paying the new minimum wage, submit a list of the products and services they sell, and these hard working state legislators will fire back with the prices they will be allowed to charge for said products and services, and then cement them in place with a law. What could possibly go wrong?