So Walmart employees would get a 55% raise, and that would only cause Walmart’s prices to have to rise by 1.4%??? That's obviously some fuzzy math. I know there are business costs other than labor, but labor IS one of the top single costs!

Then they claim that this is good because it would save "taxpayer money"?? ... gmab

Even accepting his stupid math, this lunatic doesn't think about the consequence of his proposals. I shall do that for him now:

Giving millions of workers a 55% raise would definitely have an effect on inflation... not just in higher incomes and spending power, but because there would be a massive influx of applicants for jobs at Walmart, and other companies would have to similarly raise the pay they offer to retain their employees.

Retail prices at Walmart would rise (much more than) 1.4%, and most other retailers would follow suit. Or if they didn't follow suit, Walmart would become uncompetitive, profits would diminish as other companies would undercut them on price, and the company would go under. (Also not good for the employees -- or tax payers.) Nice “solution”, guy.

So, assuming other companies raise prices and Walmart doesn't go under, now this guy's proposal just raised retail prices (at least) 1.4% for EVERYBODY. In a multi-trillion dollar economy, that is a lot of money! (Can I have 1.4% of everything you buy this year?)

Retail is under enough pressure from the Internet as it is. Raising prices would not help that situation. The inevitable response would be more taxation & regulation of the Internet and more import tariffs (sigh). Suddenly we’ve gotten ourselves into a big mess here!! But it gets worse...

Further, Walmart would have to turn down the vast, vast majority of job applicants. This might improve the quality of the average Walmart employee, but it sure as hell wouldn't be good for the type of people who currently can only get a job at Walmart!! So, this moron's proposal would actually COST these people their jobs, requiring the government to spend way MORE on food stamps.

Here's a shocking suggestion: we let companies offer whatever they want to offer. People can freely choose to accept it or look elsewhere. If they want to earn more money, they can either work harder/longer or become more valuable through education, experience, worth ethic, and/or skill. This will benefit everyone far greater than mandating a magical 55% raise for everyone.

Regarding:

This video crunches the numbers on how much Walmart, the single biggest beneficiary of the food stamp economy, might have to raise prices across the board to help a typical worker earn a living wage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAcaeLmybCY

How Much Would It Hurt Walmart To Pay A Living Wage? http://digg.com/video/how-much-would-it-hurt-walmart-to-pay-a-living-wage