What if the minimum wage was raised like Social Security?

Social Security is one government program that is indexed to inflation, so when prices go up, recipients don’t lose buying power. So why don’t we do that with the minimum wage?

One listener asks that on today’s show, so we try to get to the bottom of it. Plus, we get into the big deal with TikTok and check out some weird beers!

Here’s everything we talked about on the show today:

• “These two charts show how much minimum wage workers have fallen behind” from CNN
• “Why can’t our political system address our biggest problems?” from The Washington Post
• “When it comes to raising the minimum wage, most of the action is in cities and states, not Congress” from Pew Research Center
• “Let’s do the numbers on a $15 minimum wage” from “Make Me Smart”
• “TikTok rolls out features to help teens’ mental health as Instagram comes under fire” from CNBC
• “How TikTok went from dance videos to meaningful activism” from Vogue
• “TikTok becomes the most downloaded app of 2021 first half” from Technotifiction

Read the transcript here.

Give now to support the show you love and to get the “Make Me Smart” banana pants and ringtones! Marketplace.org/givesmart.

Stories You Might Like

Let’s do the numbers on a $15 minimum wage

Let’s do the numbers on a $15 minimum wage (rerun)

Why is Tesla buying so much bitcoin?

Uber to classify U.K. drivers as “workers”

The data behind hiking the minimum wage

Minimum wage gets a boost in 2021