I have written before on the problems associated with minimum wage.  I have even gone as far as to suggest it be "One Dollar an Hour."  My argument that if you are hungry, and a dollar will feed you, you will work for it drives home the point that the decision to survive is ultimately in YOUR hands.  The responsibility we have to ourselves overrides any "feel good" mandate by a busy body government.

"Personal responsibility."  That combination of words really means something, no matter the mechanisms designed to separate you from it by a insulative government. When we look for work, we seek a way to provide for our sustenance, our shelter, our means of existence.  We are "personally responsible" for our survival.  Our "business" is the very effort we engage in to meet our responsibilities and requirements for that survival.  So we are all engaging in a business.. a very personal one.

However, the narrow definition of what is called a business for government's purpose, allows that collective influence to leverage a "balance" between individuals and the entity which might provide opportunities for those individuals.   The "benevolent" government assumes that the natural survival instincts, the very ability to reason, plan, or provide for ourselves is flawed.  Would-be saviors of our persons, rip from us the very tools that make us unique, and resourceful, and replace them with the burden of debt and misguided intent of a few "leaders" who might catch us, albeit with the hands of others when we fall.

Today's entrepreneur knows this.   Employees might see a minimum wage mandate as protecting them against unfair business practices, but the business owner is not protected in the same manner, and can lose it all if markets turn because of external forces.  Those external forces might be natural events, or even interference by government itself.  Government then levies a "maximum wage" which finds severe penalties for those who attempt to go over it through a graduated tax system that is particularly punishing for a business owner who sees a regularly surging business cycle.

Small business and small entrepreneurial operations account for 80% of all jobs in this country.  There is a way to SOLVE unemployment, and make new opportunities quite literally appear over night:

1.ELIMINATE minimum wage today.
2.ELIMINATE any and all labor enforcement organizations in government.
3.ELIMINATE unemployment collection and distribution

Minimum wage elimination being a major part of the cure, would result in instant employment gains. Employers who might never have considered bringing more help on board could do so with minimal costs.  On its face, instant numbers of new opportunities would open up overnight. New expansion projects and new industry would be a real possibility for business that has as its core cost larger numbers of personnel.  The smallest responsibilities might then find affordable hands to manage them.

Elimination of agencies that strangle business would give gain of  flexibility to employers to  reward truly productive employees with higher wages, and allow those who either do not feel the need, or cannot be as productive, to possibly still have employment and perhaps provide for themselves in a diminished reward environment..  rather than not be employed at all.  Labor unions would be necessarily disbanded, or tossed by employers who will again have control over THEIR businesses, or at the very least reformed into useful agencies or quality worker's guilds.

Removing unemployment premiums and benefits allows employers to keep more on hand to offer the workers who deserve more.  For some industries this can be a significant percentage of the employee cost.  Further, it encourages employees to prepare for those times between jobs through savings and thrift.  

The above is a small demonstration of the most immediate effects, but the effect of such "progressive" policy has its other benefits as well.  The elimination on a wholesale basis of entire bureaucracies would result in the need for less revenue into government coffers.  Taxes could be used to settle debt.  Debt reduction would cause the dollar to be stronger.  A stronger dollar would result in more value from the earned wage.  It would likely save the dollar (which is beginning its free fall right now) as well.

The wealth of Michigan, and of the nation would be increased as a result of complete and full employment which would allow the absorption of unneeded current government employees back into productive roles in the private sector. The ability of industry to compete with added flexibility would spark a new revolution of global competitiveness.

Families would regain strength with new opportunities for the teens to work, and save, and learn work skills that could drive new entrepreneurial endeavors in the future.  Crime in all communities would be reduced.  Drinking and drug use might be lessened as idle hands become a thing of the past.  There would be fewer excuses for the inability to locate gainful employment as there will ALWAYS be someone willing to pay a slight amount for the least productive tasks that need doing.

The homelessness we see would soon become entirely VOLUNTARY.  Current law prevents any employer to provide a "company shelter" and coinciding lower than minimum pay to assist those in transition from being homeless to becoming self sufficient.  Personal pride, dignity, self respect would be making great gains as a result.

Skilled positions, and apprenticeships would be grow and institutional craft memories would be increased as well. As the initial cost of training help lessens, the propensity to do so increases.  More apprentice opportunities would be the natural result.  The ongoing skills cross training might well spark new innovative solutions as well.  Cross training of skills would be more common.

Wages may, or may not decrease on the whole initially, but the allowance for the instant reduction as needed for the survival of some business entities would maintain a strong demand for workers.  Demand, which true to the most elementary economic principles allows for the negotiation of better wages for those individuals which are deserving, and allowance for the lessened compensation for those who are not, but might still benefit because of full employment.  

This can be somewhat of a mental exercise for some.  Particularly if you were brought up in a household that has a limiting labor mindset.  The idea that a person could operate on a few dollars an hour or less might seem an abhorrent thought to those at first, but the effects of such policy on the economy as a whole, would rapidly correct it to a natural state that becomes less affected by improper government roles.