Another Open Letter to Sen. Sherrod Brown

4 October 2010

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)

Capitol Hill

Washington, DC

Dear Sen. Brown:

Your office is advertising for an unpaid intern – one whose responsibilities will be quite extensive.

But on your webpage you boast of your efforts to fight poverty by raising the national minimum-wage.

Are you not concerned that you are promoting poverty by paying this intern an hourly wage of $0.00?  Or are young men and women who choose to build their resume by working free of charge for you more intelligent and far-sighted than are young men and women who would – were it not illegal to do so – choose to build their resumes by working in the private sector at wages below the legislated minimum?  If not – that is, if your interns aren't generally more smart and prudent than are young people who seek employment in the private sector – then why do you continue to deny low-skilled employees generally the right to choose the terms of their own employment?

Sincerely,

Donald J. Boudreaux

P.S.  I'm disappointed that you turned down John Stossel's invitation to debate free trade with me on his show next week.  I hope that you'll agree to debate me some other time.

(HT to Jim Swift for alerting me to Sen. Brown's efforts to hire unpaid interns.)