The gap between intentions and outcomes can be vast in politics, as the push to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage demonstrates.

Proponents say they want to help struggling citizens at the bottom of the state’s economic ladder. But in practice, their wage-policy preference yanks that ladder out of the hands of those low-income workers, leaving them not only poor but also with far less opportunity for future advancement.

Why? Because the market still sets worker rates even when government planners pretend otherwise. If a minimum wage exceeds market value, it forces employers to simply reduce hiring, shift to automation, or move jobs to more business-friendly climates.

As the founder of the Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship, where hundreds of college students come from around the world to earn their degrees and learn how to start their own businesses, I’m always amazed at the misconceptions about investors.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, August 12, signed the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. This is prepared monthly by the World Agricultural Outlook Board (WAOB) and provides market-moving annual forecasts for supply and use of U.S. and world wheat, rice, coarse grains, oilseeds, and cotton.

“American farmers feed and fuel the world, and this report equips them with the trusted, timely data they need to make informed business decisions,” said Secretary Rollins. “Thanks to President Trump’s historic trade wins over the past few months, new and expanded market opportunities are opening for American agricultural producers in every corner of the world. This follows today’s inflation report that came under analysts’ expectations, giving producers greater certainty to plan ahead, invest in their operations, and compete globally. These victories, paired with the first-rate analysis from USDA, ensure our producers have the tools, the markets, and the confidence to grow their operations and strengthen the American economy.”