Walmart's wage hike proves we don't need the government to raise the minimum wage

But conservatives also have to stop claiming "the market" will take care of everything

Walmart
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File))

Today, Walmart announced a striking decision: The retail giant is going to give 500,000 of its workers a pay raise. Just like that. Walmart's minimum wage, from April onward, will be $9 an hour, $1.75 more than the federal minimum wage. By next February, that $9 will rise to $10.

There are lessons here for both left and right.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.