The state of Iowa has recently increased the minimum wage from $4.65 to $4.75 an hour.

Next September it is expected to increase to $5.15 an hour.

While lower skill or lower paid workers may see a little extra in their paychecks because of this, does that necessarily mean more will exist in their savings?

Probably not.

Employers who are forced to pay their employees more are not going to dip into their profit margin to compensate for the increase in salaries and wages.

These employers will adjust the price of goods or services instead, making the consumer spend more of the inflated earnings. It doesn’t work.

Increasing minimum wage has become, more or less, a tactic to make the governmental process appear to be more effective to American voters because it yields immediate results.

On the surface, it also appears to be a positive result, too.

Will we actually have more money to spend now?

Yes, but as our wages increase, the costs and prices of goods and services will be, or already have been, adjusted to compensate.

We will earn more to spend more on the same product.

Perhaps raising the minimum wage is a poor way to create a brief impact on the economy.

Should we expect more from our legislators who have this power to pay us more?

The economy is not perfect, and knee-jerk, quick fix reactions are not only unhealthy to the economy but an insult to us, the work force.

We are worth more than that. If something doesn’t work, fix it.

Before even considering raising the minimum wage, legislators should seriously examine what specifically is wrong with people’s earnings and the high cost of living in today’s economy.

The problem won’t just go away with an extra dollar here and an extra dollar there.

Besides, a government that can’t balance it’s own budget should not expect us to make these adjustments in our own finances.

We should stop looking to the quick fix when addressing more important issues such as this.

Next time, the government needs to help our economy where the problems are instead of partially padding the pockets of productive workers.