Norway?

"Decent living" doesn't include luxuries like cable TV, cell phones, internet/computers, and video games. People expectations of what is needed is far different than what it was when minimum wage was introduced.

It might be, I honestly can't remember haha, if it's not then I think it would be Switzerland. But I'm certain that the poorest 10% in Brittain, Germany, Italy, France and Spain are all significantly worse (I mean, there's an area near where I live in England that has a life expectancy of something horrific like 60, and it's not even the most deprived area in the UK FFS)

I am not an expert but this is how I see it. Since companies operate at a specific profit margin, a raise in wages will lead to a raise in operating expenses which will also lead to a decrease in profit. In order to sustain the intended profit, they either have to raise prices of their products or services or lay off employees to offset the raise in operating expenses so yeah, I don't think it is the proper way to go.

It's a terrible idea, they will just automate those jobs if they have to pay out $120 per person per day. How hard would it be to just install a touch screen, how many jobs already have self checkout, or atm's, retail jobs are slowly dying, this is just the express way to get rid of them all.

Liberals don't get it, minimum wage jobs are for experience and extra money. They are not meant to be careers. And if Bernie gets in, your free 4 year college will be offset by paying for the next 30 years for everyone else's free college. Bernie doesn't get it, it doesn't work in other countries and it will never happen in America. He won't get any of his garbage idea through congress anyway, if he even lives through his first term. They said John McCain was to old and Bernie Sanders, I mean BS, is gonna be 75 if he gets in.

While I agree with you that $15/hr is too high for low-skill workers, I don't appreciate you (or anyone) putting anyone else into one bucket. For instance, I'm very socially liberal but fiscally conservative. One more correction: businesses already pay workers who work an 8 hour day a minimum of $58/day, so the increase will be $62/day. It's still a lot, but when presenting the stats it's important to take into account the change, not the total.

It's not necessarily that 'liberals don't get it', they just want people to make a livable wage, which is fair, but unrealistically naive when you consider the market has priced low-skilled labor way below that. I think what the supporters (and even those against it) don't get is the exact impact it will have on the economy. The only way to know for sure is to see what happens if it's implemented.

I think the elephant in the room is that capitalism is fundamentally at odds with the well being of those at the bottom of the economic ladder, and more concerned with efficiency, which is why those at the bottom have a hard time climbing out and those at the top continue to enjoy the spoils. 

If we want to change how we do business, that's up for the voters to decide. I just hope (we) all understand the fact that there will be consequences, both good and bad, for our actions.

A compromise I would accept would be one where one or more of the following would occur:

1) Offsetting the minimum wage increase with a payroll tax decrease, so the net cost of employment remains unchanged

2) Introducing a age-tier like in many other countries. In the UK, there are three minimum wage, under 18, 18-21, and 21+. That way the people who are harmed most by minimum wage increases (young people) are less damaged, whereas the ones who min wage increases supposedly benefits (working adults) get that benefit.

3) Allowing districts who's unemployment rate is more than 1 standard deviation higher than the mean to use a lower minimum wage (at the discretion of the state/local Governments). Possibly rolled back to what is typically the 18-21 age rate.

Nice discussion. Thanks to everyone that brought some facts into the table

Why not watch what happens in the UK now that the evil right wing Tories are forcing a minimum wage increase up to a "Living Wage". Quite a few businesses are already saying it will force them to have to reduce staff.

See what impact it has on UK employment and then decide if it's a good idea to implement jumps in minimum wage.

Personally, I don't see how it can lead to much of anything other than jobs being relocated to cheaper countries, staff reductions and increased inflation. But at the same time, that was argued about when a Minimum Wage itself was brought in and it didn't materialise that I can see.

It did however mean that the disabled population have generally been forced to rely on state handouts.

It'll do more damage in the long run because businesses care more about the bottom line and corporate bonuses. I have lived in poverty most of my life, and that was with my parents on minimum wage. It's extremely difficult and it's becoming harder. However, businesses will simply raise product costs or eliminate workers hours so they don't have to pay benefits or they'll eliminate them outright. The entire system is fucked.

CEOs work hard, but they don't need millions upon millions of dollars while your lowest level employees earn jack shit.