[quote]Says who? You? Have fun subsidising the inept. You sound like one of those people on late-night tv ads that tells me I should use less water because some "developing" nation doesn't have as much. How is that my fault? You're completely missing the point. If you're bussing tables your whole life you don't deserve a "living" wage because you're obviously a loser. Plus, what's a "living" wage and who sets it? The state? The Fed? The owner of the company? If the owner says your wage is $5/hour and you don't like it, leave. No one is forcing you to work there. If a different place pays $20/hour to do the same job then go work there, however something tells me that scenario is highly unlikely unless the government is involved. Since the government doesn't actually produce anything and only take from others they have no problem paying way over value on labor. Who states a "living" wage that's reasonable? $40k/year in one town may be extravagant and $75k/year in another town may be a pittance. What if the person earning $75k/year moves to the town where they only pay $40k/year? The economy and the marketplace are an interesting thing. It always self-corrects over time. Anyone who tells you differently is lying.[/quote] the average cost of a studio apartment in new york city is $1782 a month and the minimum wage is $9.00 there if someone worked 40hrs a week at minimum wage they would make about $1440 a month, not even enough to pay their rent let alone utilities and other expenses like food