Sorry... a $15 minimum wage is too high

[eniwetok]

213. reject what argument?

You wrote The minimum wage hasn't kept up with inflation. By simply saying "oh we will adjust for inflation, problem solved" you ignore the legacy of the effect of surviving without a living wage.
Hey, I wasn't the one who let the MW depreciate. I'm merely suggesting that we go back the highest the MW has ever been. BLS and BEA data show it didn't cause inflation nor cause unemployment.

But I think the idea of a "living wage" blinds more than reveals. A national MW is the MINIMUM someone can pay for unskilled labor no matter if an area is economically depressed or a floating high urban area. A set $15 might be pure gravy for that kid who gets $15 to sweep the garage floor and clean toilets in some small town... and it still might be survival wages for a mom and a kid in an urban area. Currently the highest MW in the nation is DC at $10.50. The highest states are CA and MA @ $10. NY and CA are moving to $15. CA is statewide and NY is exempting upstate and will go to $12.50... then it's wait and see. And we'll wait and see what happens.

What I fear is we've built an economy not only on a depreciating MW but one that sabotaged its own industrial base with free trade. That creates two dynamics. One is it gets rid of higher paying jobs that workers to leave MW jobs for and that competition put upward pressure on wages. And free trade created an escape hatch for companies to run from having to pay higher wages... but instead feeling a need to compete with nations that allow their populations to be exploited. I think we need to block that escape hatch or $15 will just cause more companies to leave. I don't know if you're old enough to remember the oil crisis of the 70s'. We had an economy addicted to cheap oil and there were painful adjustments when the price went up. Recessions were tightly correlated to price spikes in oil.