[dfwgator]

The minimum wage is mainly for people who don't need a job for their existence, i.e. high school students and college students who still get support from Mom and Dad. It is also meant for entry-level personnel. If you increase the minimum wage, it reduces opportunities for young people to get their foot in the door. If you still earn the minimum wage after several years on the job, perhaps it's time to find a new career, or if you're an illegal alien, to get back to the country you came from.

[parsifal]

A living wage argument isn't strictly a minwage argument. A person making $7.00/hour is above minwage, but still can't survive very well in American society. I am all for "student wages," but sadly too many adults are making "student" wages.

The best, fairest, and easiest way to jack up these sub-subsistence wages is to pass across the board wage hikes over the next few years. That way Wal-Mart isn't put at an competitive disavantage vis a vis K-Mart, and vice versa. parsy.