Why cities and states should decide minimum wage

last updated 8 January 2015

Earlier this year, we engaged in the perennial fight over whether or not to raise the minimum wage (tell me again why we don't index it to inflation?).

Liberals generally insisted this was an important and humane imperative, while others, like yours truly, argued it would have the unintended consequence of actually raising the unemployment rate — a fear that was later confirmed by the CBO.

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The American Enterprise Institute is out with a report demonstrating why minimum-wage laws might be best left to the cities and states. I think the chart says it all. --Matt K. Lewis

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Matt K. Lewis is a contributing editor at TheWeek.com and a senior contributor for The Daily Caller. He has written for outlets including GQ Politics, The Guardian, and Politico, and has been cited or quoted by outlets including New York Magazine, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. Matt co-hosts The DMZ on Bloggingheads.TV, and also hosts his own podcast. In 2011, Business Insider listed him as one of the 50 "Pundits You Need To Pay Attention To Between Now And The Election." And in 2012, the American Conservative Union honored Matt as their CPAC "Blogger of the Year." He currently lives in Alexandria, Va.