Well.....you're just a Saint....what can I say. Please let me go along next time you buy a car so I can witness you paying more than the asking price, not trying to "make a deal"!
Labor is also a commodity....just like gasoline, kumquats and pork bellies. The fairest wage is the wage agreed on....not coerced by government regulation.
My money is best spent providing for my family's security and well being....not paying top dollar in a labor market so I can feel good about myself.
I have paid more for a car than I could have in the past. I drive a lot and need to have a good relationship with my dealer and his service department. If my first impression with the dealer is overly confrontational and accusatory, imagine how awkward the second, third, and fourth visits will be.
All too often, people think that pricing is arbitrary and that business men set their prices to try to rip people off. Most folks don't understand all the costs that go into a particular price, and I don't begrudge people their fair wages or commissions. You get what you pay for is synonymous with "loving your neighbor like you like to be loved", IMHO.
I've been on both sides of this equation. Customers that respect my talents and abilities are happy to pay invoices from my employer. They tend to pay their employees a little more and also treat them better. Their labs are happy places. The labs where my customers are focused completely on the bottom line tend to treat invoices like pure fiction, negotiate unreasonable prices that make the transaction uncomfortable, treat their own employees terribly, have a high level of turnover, and generally have a distasteful atmosphere in their labs.
I do agree with your points on the minimum wage, however. Those who favor raising this arbitrarily have no clue about business. You people who employ folks have a fixed budget for overhead and you are either forced to hike your prices or shrink your overhead. Then, those who favored the increase act all surprised at the unemployment rate or inflation. You gotta sell a lot of 99 cent Jr. Woppers to pay for 5 people's hourly wages.