I did not read the entire piece, and I have not read every single comment in this thread. But so far what I notice is that the other implications of minimum wage and high minimum wage are being ignored.
How do you calculate lost work experience for the youngest and least qualified in our society, primarily teenagers?
When minimum wages go up businesses that can stay in business and absorb it tend to fill these positions with more experienced people, rather than inexperienced first time job Seekers. So, we end up with a generation or two with no understanding of the things that are needed to earn their way in life. Reliability, initiative, an understanding that if you don’t work you will be flipping burgers for the rest of your life.
When I was young I had the usual jobs at minimum wage, it taught me that I was never going to spend my life in that position.
Well, you could make the same argument for slavery. You know, if they ain’t out here picking cotton for us for darn near free, then they will never get any job experience. My opinion is, most of what minimum wage workers will come away with is that working doesn’t pay enough to live on. Might as well stay in Mommy’s basement and smoke dope.