This is not the point. There are many low paying jobs that people have shed blood, sweat and tears, not too mention years of loyalty to get where they are today. If congress raises the minimum wage, a few questions apply:
Will my pay rate go up?
What about the elderly on Social Security, will they get more back?
What about the military and veterans, will they be compensated accordingly?
I know the answers to all three. a big FAT NO!!!
Of course it's a no and it's the same question I asked. If one is sitting on student loans at an entry level position somewhere for a few years, what does it mean for those people when they make the same as someone who worked at an unskilled position, with no such debt burden intended to make a living wage? As this states the lower income people will be priced out of those jobs when Mcdonalds and walmart opt for people just out of college who can also double in management positions thereby eliminating a whole tier of employees. These people will NOT be better off, they will just lose their jobs to people worth paying 15 bucks an hour too and more automation to boot. Simple as that.
I will add the only ones who would survive imo are people like you seahorse who actually bust ass to do a good job, but let's face it, the people who I saw on that line were not the ass busters, but the ass sitters who want something for nothing...they will be the ones priced out of positions as well as young people who have no experience at all. this is why I tell my daughter who is nearing 16 and never held a taxable job to state her skills from activities she has done to build a resume of work--ie when she's helped her dad in his business to market it to detail her marketing skills, when she's sold programs for football to highlight sales skills, etc. With how things are it seems the only way to make a poor teen trying to get their first job more marketable is to show them how to build a skills-based resume where they have no formal work experience.