Economics teaches that supply and demand are often in equilibrium. Therefore, raising the price of something means that less of it is demanded. In the case of labor, it means fewer jobs.
But, in modern day socialist America, prices aren’t always what they seem. There’s a floor on wages different from the minimum wage—it’s the equivalent welfare wage. I’ve seen studies that say that in some states, the total of welfare benefits comes close to $15 /hour. It’s also true that if you are on welfare, as soon as you start to work, you face an extraordinarily high marginal tax, because you lose cash benefits, and in-kind benefits like Medicare and food stamps.
So, the practical minimum wage to get someone who is on welfare to choose work instead (neglecting reasons of pride and self responsibility) is quite high, and higher than the stated minimum wage.
My solution: Forget about the minimum wage. It’s a training wage for kids and people who wish to enter the workforce. It’s not an alternative to welfare.
Oh, yeah, the second part of my solution is to cut welfare substantially. Eliminate EBT cards. Make it a bit unpleasant, like having to eat government cheese and spam. There’s sustenance, but not much pleasure. I’m sick of seeing people in line in at the supermarket pay for carts filled with luxury foods with their EBT cards. Shouldn’t happen.
/rant off
If we are going to have any kind of taxpayer financed help for the poor it should be in the form of the old “poor farm” or “poorhouse” where anyone who is destitute can go and live at a bare subsistence level and anyone who is able to do any kind of work has to work in the kitchen or at some other job. That would prevent starvation but it would not reward people for sloth as the current system does. There would be no money given to anyone, only the very basic necessities of life and televisions and cell phones are not basic necessities of life.