Why do so-called "progressive" policies always oppress the poor?
The highly respected economist Thomas Sowell famously said that the real minimum wage is effectively zero. He argued that regardless of how high the government sets a price floor, if an employer refuses to comply — whether by dismissing employees, slashing their hours, or raising prices to a point where consumer demand collapses — the employee’s actual wage could drop to nothing.
In other words, so-called "progressivism" often hurts the people it claims to help.
Let's take a closer look at what is happening in Seattle.
Be informed, not misled.
Jason Mattera is a New York Times bestselling author and Emmy-nominated journalist.
He says, "Progressive Christians, who tirelessly preach the biblical mandate to help the poor, are conspicuously silent when confronted with legislative edicts that exacerbate the plight of those in need. This silence exposes their true agenda: Not to aid the poor through charitable giving and sound fiscal policy, but to cloak their push for more statism under the guise of compassion."
Thus, those who cling to a left-wing ideology regularly ignore the harm that minimum wage laws inflict on low-skilled workers because it undermines their narrative of Big Government benevolence.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s higher minimum wage for fast-food workers took effect two weeks ago. In addition to California’s already high $16 minimum wage, the minimum wage for fast-food workers will increase to $20 an hour, the highest minimum wage in the U.S.
Yet, the detrimental effects of these policies are undeniable.
God is very clear in His Word about helping the poor, but the pharisaic actions of the Left, including the "Christian Left," are not that.
They are oppressing the poor.
The City Council of Seattle has given us a clear illustration of how destructive progressivism really is.
Seattle City Council stumbles again.
Since taking effect earlier this year, this law has not “protected” lower-income individuals as promised but has, on the flip side, made them more “vulnerable” to market adjustments.
“People cannot pay the rent,” exclaimed Gary Lardizaba, a frustrated driver, in an interview with Seattle radio station KIRO 97.3FM. “This is not a living wage. This is a dying wage.”
He revealed that after the regulation was implemented, he and his fellow drivers experienced a 30-40% reduction in pay, ironically due to a measure intended to boost their bank accounts.
Remember, corporations don’t bear the burden of taxes and costs as you and I do; they transfer these expenses to consumers by raising prices.
According to The Washington Examiner, 300,000 fewer orders have been placed since Seattle's PayUp took effect, triggering a $7 million revenue loss for regional businesses and a significant dip in drivers’ earning potential.
One local bakery owner reported a drastic “50 percent drop in third-party delivery app sales,” while another restaurant observed a “30% year-over-year decline in app orders.”
A 30-year-old driver shared a grim outlook, lamenting that “demand was dead” after he spent an unbelievable “six hours waiting for a single Uber Eats delivery request.”
Amidst this economic fiasco, at least one Seattle City Council member seems to grasp the situation. Sara Nelson candidly admitted, “We created a problem and it’s our responsibility to fix it.”
How do we fix the problems we've created?
In Matthew 20:1-15, Jesus teaches us how to solve these kinds of cultural problems in the parable of the vineyard owner who employs workers at various intervals during the day. He offers the first group a specific wage — a denarius for their day’s labor. For subsequent groups, though, he simply promises a fair wage.
Mattera explains: "As evening comes and wages are distributed, every worker receives the same pay — one denarius, irrespective of their start time. This equal pay sparks discontent among those who started early, who feel they deserve more for their longer hours. The landowner rebuffs their complaints, reminding them of the terms they agreed to, and underscores his autonomy in financial matters: 'Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?'”
He says, "If you acknowledge that God’s sovereignty encompasses economics as well, then, as the late historian Gary North asserted [a friend and regular guest on my television program], this passage is the most powerful affirmation of property rights in the New Testament. As North put it, 'the employer affirmed the right of contract and also the right of ownership,' whereas the workers, 'as owners of their labor … had the right to decline the offer.'"
"This is how a free market operates, and it’s a moral framework woven into every prosperous economy."
"The evidence," he says, "is undeniable: political interference in the market leads to economic despair, regardless of the benevolent spin or altruistic rhetoric employed."
When will progressives stop oppressing the poor?
Takeaway
Whether it is the redefinition of marriage or the push for more government programs, the Left considers their policies to bring “progress.” But is this really progress?
Considering that most of the Left’s policies are destroying civilization, a better adjective would be "regressive." Family is the cornerstone of civilization, yet the Left attacks the family from every angle. This includes the redefinition of marriage to comprise two people who cannot biologically reproduce, as well as the legal protection of baby-murder factories and their identification as women's "health" clinics. And, of course, the high taxes of the left's welfare state also make it difficult for people to live, let alone afford children.
The term "regressive" is also fitting because of our culture's regress towards ancient paganism, particularly in the realm of sexual ethics. (Think ancient fertility cults.) The Left has priestesses ready to defend their sacrament of child sacrifice, which they offer to the gods of personal autonomy.
What is profoundly concerning is that these "progressives" control America’s education system at every level. It is particularly well known that leftists control the universities. Sadly, many professors admit they are Marxists. Some fields within the university are more "progressive" than others, but one of the most far-Left fields within university studies is education. And if progressives control the colleges of education, it should not surprise us that they also control the K–12 public schools.
It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the “progressive” Left is actually evil. They have hijacked schools and universities---even churches--- in order to influence young people, teaching them to reject Christian ethics in favor of godless relativism.
Today's schools are churning out “social justice warriors” who are zealous for the cause—which usually means they want to shut down anyone who disagrees with them.
Progressivism, by its evil nature, will continue to misuse the poor and any other people group in need of help to advance their cause, which is always a path to power and personal enrichment---and ultimately to destruction for an individual and a nation.
Their end always justifies the means.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged, Be Prayerful.