On John Stossel’s show last week, a young girl put political scientist Ben Barber on the spot after he had advocated a minimum wage law. It starts at the 37 second point. Notice how clear she is in posing the question while still being friendly. Nice combination.

Also, notice Barber’s answer. I don’t think it’s my imagination that he plays the class card. He contrasts her desire for a job watering her neighbor’s plants for $5 an hour with the desperate need of some unnamed 13-year olds in New York City who want a job. He suggests that maybe it’s because she wants “extra dough.” And that seems to make it alright for the government to price her out of a job. And somehow that magically prices those desperate 13-year olds in?

Also interesting is that somehow he suddenly wants these desperate 13-year olds to have jobs. This, after having complained [at the 3:10 point] about teenagers in 19th century Britain working long hours at low wages instead of going to school. [As if that was an option during that much-poorer time.] And this after having earlier asked the audience rhetorically if they wanted their children working.