For years, critics of raising the minimum wage have maintained it hurts business and reduces the number of jobs available. Some contend the marketplace sets wages, and government can no more do that than it can impose terms on physical laws. Remember how one-term Congressman Bill Sali, R-Idaho, so famously likened the 2007 three-tiered boost in the national minimum wage to repealing the law of gravity and then proposed to do precisely that? Yet, Walmart is expanding one of its operations into Clarkston, where Washington has the nation's highest minimum wage. In doing so, it is leaving behind a store in Lewiston, where Idaho has one of the lowest minimum wages. Pegged to the federal minimum wage, Idaho pays $6.55 an hour. That's set to rise to $7.25 an hour this week. But Washington sets its minimum wage at $8.55/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Do you believe that an increase in the minimum wage hurts business much?