Increasing minimum wage..

Haven't read much of the thread past the first few pages. Not sure what the political discussion on minimum wage is right now at the congressional level either, so these are just thoughts really.

I agree with raising the minimum wage. $15 right off the bat is a large increase for small businesses if it happened all at once, I think $12 is more reasonable federally, but with the caveat that it raise with inflation yearly instead of being a one off cap that needs to be reworked a decade from now. I think there is a compelling argument that higher wages will drive certain jobs out of the market, but I think ultimately it's a necessary trade off - automation is a natural progression of technology and has historically created more stable living situations for people than it has hurt.

I'm fortunate to be out of the minimum wage grind, but what I was making in low paying restaurants 10 years ago is the same amount people in the lowest minimum wage jobs are earning today. That's dismal.

I think at the minimum, people should be able to afford appropriate housing, food, health coverage and amenities at 30 hours per week, 48 weeks per year. At 40 hours per week, 48 weeks per year I think people should be able to afford basic housing, food and amenities, but should also be able to afford community college classes and technical certifications out of pocket (ie, not taking out 4.5-8% loans to learn new skills). And at 80 hours per week, 52 weeks per year, you should have enough excess income to comfortably take a year or two off work every decade. In all cases, people should be able to afford the costs of living like this while still having the time to sleep 8 hours a day, socialize with friends or family, exercise and cook their own meals.

If the lowest earning people have time to exercise, eat well, socialize, take on career progressing education and can take off work 4 weeks out of the year for rest, emergencies, and personal development, that is all a net benefit for society as a whole.

Several industries may have their labor infrastructure challenged, but I think if a job role cannot provide these basic costs, the job itself is not appropriately priced to begin with. Perhaps the job should not exist in the first place in the same way, maybe the job role needs to be adapted where the worker in that role can do more efficient work in the same time period or a specific product being made is not priced correctly for the work being put into it.

Fast food as the example. Many fast food type places are starting to offer $15-16 an hour to start, $5-6 above most state minimum wages. If other fast food places shut down because they cannot keep up with employment or keep business booming, I think that's a net positive. It ultimately frees up real estate for other businesses to take off in an area that is oversaturated with corporate franchises. It actually benefits smaller businesses in the long run by allowing them to operate in the absence of a franchise stronghold. A local restaurant for example can take the ecological placement and operate with higher wages, more diverse offerings to the local area and smaller overhead costs overall. If you set the minimum wage to a livable one, I think it would accelerate this process overall across more industries than just restaurant work.

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