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> Pretending that every job is worth $20/hour apparently has "unforeseen consequences"

Pretending that companies can do things they can't afford to, by paying people less than they need, also has consequences. Although they're not really "unforeseen" since we've been seeing the consequences of it for decades now.

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I didn't need a livable wage as a teenager. It was a way to get extra spending cash/job experience. Granted, wages definitely haven't kept up, so I agree in part.

It's sad that people need these menial jobs--which will probably be automated at some point--to survive, instead of being able to pursue something more meaningful.

And if minimum wages were, in fact, limited to teenagers who were fully supported by their parents (as opposed to, say, teenagers whose parents were disabled, already living on a fixed income, or otherwise poor and relying on the extra income from the teenager's job), that might hold some weight.

As it stands, people just use that as an excuse for retaining sub-livable minimum wages for everyone.

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