Why do we have a minimum wage?

Some sociologist decided that the government needed to set wages below which people could not be paid to do stuff. The effect of this was to make honest hourly work impossible for the very poorest in society. It also makes hourly work impossible for teens in the summer, so the only way they can make money is to steal it or deal drugs. As a consequence the social engineers once again did something that had the direct opposite effect of what was intended.

Neither is necessarily wrong. China is a good example of why having a wage floor is important. However, having a floor that is too high can result in having to make too many cuts that often results in job losses or less hours because employers have to pay more in order to keep an individual on staff. It is best to find balance between these two as opposed to one extreme.

If your working for minimum wage her in Texas, your an idiot.

My local McD's is offering $9.00 an hour to start. Burger King is at $9.25. Home Depot-$10.50 and up.

The minimum wage has kept people out of poverty, but now those jobs are going overseas to places in which the costs of business are lower..

Any ideas?

Apply logic. Discard stupidity.

The minimum wage in the usa keeps the government in poverty as it has to pay corporate welfare to businesses who don't pay their employees a livable wage as the government has to top up the wage with tax credits, family tax credits, food stamps and welfare payments...

to prevent cons from more exploitation than they do already