Just More Takers, I Suppose

From Paul Krugman's column today:

 ’Tis the season to be jolly — or, at any rate, to spend a lot of time in shopping malls. It is also, traditionally, a time to reflect on the plight of those less fortunate than oneself — for example, the person on the other side of that cash register. 

 Although the national minimum wage was raised a few years ago, it’s still very low by historical standards, having consistently lagged behind both inflation and average wage levels. Who gets paid this low minimum? By and large, it’s the man or woman behind the cash register: almost 60 percent of U.S. minimum-wage workers are in either food service or sales. This means, by the way, that one argument often invoked against any attempt to raise wages — the threat of foreign competition — won’t wash here: Americans won’t drive to China to pick up their burgers and fries.

I hope he is right about the fact that a majority of self-identified Republicans (57%) and Conservatives (59%) support an increase in the minimum wage. But, heck, he is always right. The only thing his critics can pin on him is his snarkiness, gawd bless 'im.