A risk not worth the reward

I'm a strong believer in the concept of individual pursuit of happiness, so long as that happiness doesn't afflict another individual's pursuit. Because of this, there is a plethora of laws and social issues that I disagree with, regardless of their intended effects.
Recently, Lienthelion has touched on the relatively new anti-vaxx movement in his post Editorial: PAC Mobilizes to defend Vaccine Exemptions in Texas. Throughout his Editorial, Lien explains the controversial decisions made by the parents involved in the anti-vaxx movement, and concludes that "there should be federally enforced legislation on the regulation of vaccinating children. This is not a right so much as it is a standard to be met as a member of society."
Frankly, I completely agree with Lien. I personally have a family member who has hopped on the anti-vaxx train and while because of that, I understand the concerns of the parents who have made the decision not to vaccinate their children, I still disagree with the decision; and like Lien I disagree with it being a decision left to individual parents. While the participants in this movement clearly want what is best for their children, they selfishly ignore the risk that they impose on other children, and on society as a whole. A trend of this magnitude that risks the welfare of the next generation(s) should not, and cannot be ignored- and while I generally condemn running to the government to solve any issues that would place restrictions on the individual, I feel that the best solution to this issue is a judicial and/or legislative one.  

The problem, or lack thereof, with the minimum wage

  One of the most politically pressed issues in the last decade is the public desire for a raise in the minimum wage, and what could be wrong with allocating additional funds to those in need?
Well, nothing; and while I support the allocation of additional funds directed towards those in need, I don't believe that a raise in the minimum wage would have that desired effect. Not only would a raise in the minimum wage affect only a small percentage of low income households, it could potentially do more harm than good by causing a raise in the unemployment rate and potentially causing inflation, degrading the value of our currency. 
Kevin A. Hassett and Michael R. Strain of the American Enterprise Institute agree in their article Why we shouldn't raise the minimum wage. They argue that "Raising the wage will make it more expensive to hire younger and low-skill workers. There are better ways to help the poor... only 11.3% of workers who would gain from the increase belong to poor households". Hassett and Strain go further in detail in their article, which includes a more effective proposal for the allocation of funds to low income households; they present the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's solution of "expanding the earned income tax credit [as] a much more efficient way to fight poverty". This solution though, as Hassett and Strain describe it, is not embraced by politicians since expanding the earned income tax credit would come out of government coffers, and raising the state or national minimum wage would not only gain them political points, but it would also have no effect on the government coffers. 
While it may be more difficult to push for a more beneficial solution, I feel that Texas should avoid any implication towards raising the minimum wage, for the better of her people overall.