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The issue of wages is not a simple thing, very complex in fact.
On the one hand, there are some people who aren't worth even $7.50 an hour. Anyone who has worked in an entry level job, or supervised people who do, will agree with that one.
On the other hand, if people don't have money, then business doesn't have a market.
And automation has eliminated a whole lot of jobs that people used to do, which affects supply and demand for labor.
Of course, there's SS disability, which some seem to consider a career, along with a variety of other government handouts that in aggregate cost us around a trillion a year.
But, even people who are not worth minimum wage need to have something worthwhile to do. Idleness, the old saying goes, is the Devil's workshop. Whether or not you believe in the Devil, it's pretty obvious that people with nothing to do tend to get in trouble and/or engage in self destructive behaviors.
But, eliminate that trillion in means tested welfare, eliminate the minimum wage, and we have a limited market for people who do produce.
And business, whether it is a large retailer like WalMart, or the local deli, are in business to make money. The bottom line is profit, and not social welfare. If they don't make money, they're soon out of business.
So, now: Is there a simple solution to this rather complex issue?
Sure...I have a simple solution.
If the government wants to pay those people to live, then require them work for their pay. Now, I don't mean "look for a job", I mean put in 8 hours of labor for the money they get from the government. If they don't want to do that then they get nothing.
It all goes back to personal responsibility.