Mandating unemployment.

ITEM: Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, reported the Chicago SunTimes for June 20, "proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $7 an hour by 2007, arguing that such an increase could boost the wages o['more than 15 million Americans"

Some worry that this would injure small businesses and job creation, but Kerry "rejected that argument;' according to the account. Kerry said: "Some people stand up and say, 'Oh gosh, don't raise the minimum wage, that's going to hurt us in this small business: But you know what? It never has."

BETWEEN THE LINES: Senator Kerry really does have a plan to reduce the number of "working poor": He wants more nonworking Americans who would be even poorer.

Higher unemployment, especially among entry-level workers (sometimes accompanied by reduced benefits or fewer hours of work), is inevitable when the government forces employers to increase their labor costs. This proposed hike would be the largest increase in entry-level wages ever, a 36 percent jump. Small employers and labor-intensive businesses, notes the National Restaurant Association, "are the most impacted by mandated entry-level wage increases...." Similarly, the National Federation of Independent Business refers to the "job-killing nature" of such mandates, saying the plan "is a 'pink slip' for the small-business men and women who are leading the way in job creation and economic growth in America."

Thus it is that the minimum-wage hikers must concoct a variety of talcs to justify the increase. Mr. Kerry claims, for instance, that he would be helping millions of working women. Hardly. Some 2.1 million, or 1.5 percent of the workforce, actually earn the minimum, according to the Labor Department. More than half of these, as the Wall Street Journal has commented, "are under the age of 25, meaning they are likely working a temporary or entry-level job. Three-fifths are in the leisure and hospitality industry, which means in jobs that often come with tips in addition to wages. Studies have also shown that most people earning the minimum wage are not poor--more than one-third live with a parent or relative. Only 15 percent are the sole breadwinner in a family with children."

When many of the latter lose their jobs, Kerry has another government solution: He would increase the child care tax credit and apply it to those without jobs. What a concept! After he tosses single mothers out of work, or prevents them from getting a job where they could gain valuable experience, he will send these non-workers $5,000, tax-free, of your money.