Senator Fictional wants to reduce income inequality in the United States.  He proposes a bill that will more than double the federal minimum wage (from $7.25/hour to $15/hour).  With respect to reducing income inequality, discuss the possibilities (pros and cons) of this plan. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published data on unemployment rates by demographic group for the fourth quarter of 2020.  These are provided in the table below.  Overall, the unemployment rate stood at 6.5% for all labor force participants 16 and over, so 1 in about 15.5 workers were jobless. As has historically been the case, the highest unemployment rate (currently 22.8%) is for 18-19 year old African American males, followed by 18-19 year old African American females (currently 20%).  Thus, among 18-19 year old African Americans, 1 in 4.4 males and 1 in 5 females has been unable to secure a job.  If Senator Fictional’s plan becomes law, whereby firms are required to pay twice the current rate for entry-level employees, discuss the likely impact on these workers in particular, both in the near-term and the longer-term.

One of the foundational principles of the economic way of thinking is that people respond to incentives.  Often, well-intentioned government policies have unintended consequences because of how the policy impacts incentives. With regard to income redistribution, how do taxes and transfers impact incentives?  What unintended consequences can we expect from these altered incentives?

Which person within the EMS system is responsible for approving EMS providers to practice within the system?

You are called for a patient who has received an electrical shock. When you arrive, you find that the patient has struck a power pole with a motorcycle and has a power line lying across him. Which of the following components of the scene size-up is particularly relevant at this point?

One of the leading factors in making mistakes is:

What is conveyed through adherence to a set of values and behavior that are accepted as defining features of a given occupation?

Which of the following provided federal funding for EMS system development?

Looking at something from the patient’s point of view is an example of:

Which of the following demonstrates “integrity”?

Using the BEST available research evidence to guide patient assessment and care is an example of: