I think that the root of this problem is inequality in this country.
I do agree with this to a point. And I do think we have a problem with how work and employment are set up today, and I am in so many ways a huge liberal who supports raising the min wage, etc.
Raising the minimum wage to $15 (a level that has been advocated) will just accelerate automation of jobs such as taking orders at restaurants and checking out at stores. Before that happens, employers will reduce hours, saving the $15/hour cashiers for times of peak store traffic. So total income earned by cashiers may rise much less than hourly income.
My wife and I are doing what we can to maximize the "human capital" of our children, all of whom are above average in intelligence. It is likely that in their early 20s, with bachelor's degrees, that their labor will be worth more than $15/hour. There are as many people with IQs below 100 as above, and their labor on day one may not be worth $15/hour. Education will not do as much for them as for brighter people, and setting the minimum wage too high may shut them out of the above-ground economy for a lifetime.
To reduce inequality, encourage the people most likely to have intelligent and productive children to have more of them.
