The Wages of ... Raising the Minimum Wage

Minimum wage jobs were never intended to be lifetime billets with a "living wage," whatever that means. These jobs are typically low-skill and designed to be part-time in most cases. In the past, you started in such jobs as you were introduced to the workforce and, if you had your wits about you, quickly decided that you needed to get whatever training necessary to move up the ladder. High schoolers used to find plenty of such jobs in the summer but they have become more and more scarce as politicians have intervened to mandate "living wages" and unions have tried to organize the ranks of the low-skilled.

The result of this is a continuing push to automate jobs. Robots always show up, don't whine, don't cop an attitude with customers, won't talk on their cell phones to their significant other during working hours, and never agitate for higher and unsustainable wages. As the politicians vote for things like a higher minimum wage, paid sick leave, paid vacation, health insurance, etc., etc. for low-skilled workers as a way to buy votes, expect business to put more and more humans on the unemployment lines and turn to Al and Alice the Robots to serve you your next burger. 

www.usatoday.com/longform/news/nation/2014/10/28/low-skill-workers-face-mechanization-challenge/16392981/