I was suspicious of the ‘Now Hiring Must Be Mexican’ sign at a Burger King that’s been making its way around the internet. Almost anything can be done with Photoshop. Well, it turns out that the sign is real, but it was put up by a disgruntled employee. Here’s the official word from BK as reported at the Blaze:

“The signage in question took place at a franchisee owned and operated restaurant,” Burger King said in an email. “The signage was unauthorized and posted briefly and photographed last summer by a former restaurant employee.”

“We have been informed by the franchisee that immediate actions were taken to terminate the employee responsible,” the fast food company added. “BKC has a long history of dedication to diversity and inclusion. Diversity is a driving force behind both our innovation and an inclusive environment for our people — employees, franchisees, suppliers and restaurant guests alike.”

There were a number of posts on Facebook that took issue with the content of the sign thinking it was the management that posted it. I didn’t. But I would be perfectly happy if an owner of a business put up a sign that stated that he only wanted to hire Mexicans.

Maybe he wanted to create an authentic Mexican restaurant or start a design firm that catered to people who loved Mexican architecture. It doesn’t matter what the reason is. It’s his or her business.

Hooters Restaurants only hire female servers of a particular physical type. No one seems to object. I suspect that if you went to China Town or Little Italy you would find mostly Chinese and Italians working.

Our family has been going to a Mexican restaurant for 30 years where every employee is Mexican.

A business owner should be able to hire and fire who he wants and for whatever reason. If his customers don’t like it, they don’t have to do business with the company. It’s that simple.

Burgher King would be stupid to put up a sign that signaled that they were only hiring people from a specific nation since the restaurant caters to everybody even if there were a law against it. Market forces are actually more determinative than the force of law.

The same is true for pay. The minimum wage should be abolished. It only hurts the most unemployable people. Why should the government be able to tell an employer how much he should pay someone? Let market conditions determine wages.

If the pay is too low, a business won’t be able to hire people. Wages will have to rise to get the best people for the job.

I see this in the businesses I co-own. We can dictate salary, but market conditions more often than not dictate otherwise. The lowest paid employees are those with untested skills and work ethic. The entry-level salary is a proving ground for advancement.

When a minimum salary is dictated, those in most need of a job are shut out. If a business owner has to pay a certain wage, he’s going to find the most experienced worker for the job. Unexperienced workers are shut out. They can’t compete based on wage price since an employer can’t by law pay less.

It’s no wonder that youth unemployment is so high. Young people without employment are dangerous to themselves and society. Moreover, there is an economic ripple effect. When young people don’t have money to spend, merchandise is not purchased. This leads to even more unemployment. It’s a vicious circle.

Once the State is given or takes power in one area, you can be assured that it will take power in every area. Millions of people making billions of economic decisions everyday should be the ones to determine who they’re going to hire and what they’re going to pay. And people looking for jobs should have the same freedom.