If employers were only more kind hearted, could everyone in America get a raise? That’s certainly the impression left in last week’s New York Times by Paul Krugman. Writing about Walmart’s decision to raise wages for about half a million workers, Krugman wrote:

“Second, and arguably far more important, is what Walmart’s move tells us—namely, that low wages are a political choice, and we can and should choose differently.”

In other words, every employer could do what Walmart did, if only they were more generous.