The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled against adding a measure to November's ballot to increase the state's minimum wage, WILX-TV reported. The initiative would have increased the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour but was shot down due to a technicality.
The measure garnered 300,000 signatures but was rejected by the Michigan Board of State Canvassers because the language changed from its initial proposal. The left-leaning One Fair Wage organization sued over the decision.
The ruling by the state's high court outraged leftists. “My big question of the hour, and of the day, and of the year, and of the decade, is why are Republicans so afraid of letting voters decide whether to raise the minimum wage?" One Fair Wage president, Saru Jayaraman, said.
This marks yet another time the measure has failed to make it to voters again in the years-long fight. "We have been at this in Michigan, really led by thousands of Michigan workers for 10 years, a decade of pushing to raise the minimum wage on the ballot," Jayaraman also noted.
While leftists push for a higher minimum wage for unskilled workers, business owners and others with common sense can see it's a disaster in the making. Restaurant owner George Smyrnis told WILX-TV that he was relieved it was shot down.
"I’m glad that it’s not happening. I hope it doesn’t happen," Smyrnis said.
His Grand Ledge restaurant, Sophia’s House of Pancakes, has been briefly spared from the added expense. As Smyrnis explained, any additional cost due to rising wages would be passed on to the customer, which is bad news for everyone involved, including servers who rely on tips.
"For example, if I have a hamburger for $12, $15, well $15 dollar minimum wage, it might go up to $20. So, who’s going to pay $20 for a hamburger and then leave tips for the servers?" Smyrnis pointed out.
Although the initiative won't appear on the ballot, it's still up to the Michigan Supreme Court to decide whether another case will result in an increase. A 2018 law adopted by the state legislature could mean a $12 minimum wage in the state, though One Fair Wage plans to never give up on the $15 rate.
The reason Republicans and others who care about businesses are against the minimum wage increase is that it's terrible for the economy. The evidence for this continues to pile up, including in California, where a high hourly wage recently impacted the beloved taco chain Rubio's, the New York Post reported.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom had increased the minimum wage to a ridiculous $20 per hour earlier this year. The taco chain, which is known for its fish tacos, shuttered 48 of its stores in the state just two months after the Democrat's policy went into effect.
"The closings were brought about by the rising cost of doing business in California," a Rubio's spokesperson said Tuesday. The remaining 86 stores in California, Nevada, and Arizona will remain open as long as it's profitable to do so.
"Making the decision to close a store is never an easy one. While painful, the store closures are a necessary step in our strategic long-term plan to position Rubio’s for success for years to come," the statement added.
Increasing the minimum wage is another Democrat scheme that allows them to pretend to be for the common person. In reality, it's just a way to pick the pockets of consumers and business owners while buying votes elsewhere.
