Today we hear that people need to be paid a "living wage" and want the government to raise the minimum wage. What is a living wage? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary it is, "a wage sufficient to provide the necessities and comforts essential to an acceptable standard of living." However, an acceptable standard of living is a person responsibility that you as an individual must provide. It is not the duty of an employer or government for you to live in what you see as an acceptable standard of living. In a free society we are responsible for our own lives. Everyone has a choice and no one is forced to work for anyone. You can always acquire more skills and work harder than the others and get paid more and if you don't then you quit and find an employer that will pay you what you think you should be paid.
If the minimum wage goes up then employers will only hire those that are experienced and will refrain from hiring young inexperienced workers. This creates a problem where these young people are never able to start somewhere and work their way up in the company and acquire skills needed for higher paying jobs. If we were to lower or eliminate the minimum wage then young inexperienced workers would be able to get into the workforce and acquire skills they will need for the higher wage jobs at a lower risk for the employer. It will also decrease the cost of living because companies wouldn't be forced to give up more profit and could lower prices to be more competitive in the marketplace.
This is not the to say that some large corporations can't afford to pay their workers more cause there are plenty that can. However, companies will pay more if the market is demanding it and not being forced to do so. If there are two companies offering the same job but one is offering better pay and benefits then people will take that one over the one offering lower pay. If there was no minimum wage then companies would have to be more competitive in their pay because they want the workers that will produce more.
Why can't we try more freedom and less forced redistribution of wealth? Why can't we take more responsibility for our own lives instead of calling on government to make our lives better? Getting rid of the minimum wage will cause the economy to flourish as people will have more options for employment. In the United States and most countries we have protections for the workers against hazardous conditions and being worked too much. Unlike place like China where most of the factory workers work in slave like conditions. Eliminating the minimum wage will open up the market making it able for more competition and like everything when there is more competition in the marketplace the standard of living goes up. Let's try freedom, let's try something radical, let's end the minimum wage.