Mark Wilson

In the following viewpoint, Mark Wilson argues against the minimum wage increase proposed by President Bill Clinton in 1995 (Congress approved the proposal, which raised the minimum wage to $5.15 per hour, in 1996). Wilson contends that increasing the wage will cause a reduction of entry-level job opportunities. In addition, Wilson maintains, an increase in the minimum wage will not reduce poverty because most minimum wage workers are not their families' primary earners. Instead, he asserts, alternatives to a minimum wage hike—such as education and tax reforms—would better assist the poor. Wilson is the Rebecca Lukens Fellow in Labor Policy for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative public policy research foundation.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In what three ways do firms respond to higher labor costs, according to Wilson?
2. According to the...