If Democrats are as successful in raising the minimum wage as they were in imposing the costly health insurance mandate, many employers will either find a way to use less labor or a cost-effective substitute.

FORBES: It's Not Just The Minimum Wage, It's Also The Health Insurance Mandate

Raising the cost of labor raises the incentive for employers to find ways to use less labor.

FORBES: Why Raising The Minimum Wage Kills Jobs

In addition to their added IT benefits, Chromebooks also cost less than most high end tablets and according to the IDC, require 69 percent less labor to deploy and 92 percent less labor to support3.

ENGADGET: Lenovo adopts Chrome OS, intros ThinkPad X131e Chromebook for schools

For example, Folbre notes that men constitute more than 71% of the workforce in manufacturing (which was hit hard in the recession, and also hit with outsourcing to lower cost labor countries, increased automation, and increased foreign trade) and they make up less than 25% of the workers in health and education services (where jobs have risen slowly, but steadily).

FORBES: The Declining Demand For Jobs Men Have Traditionally Held