[aianus]

Does it include children? How many is considered dignified? Some people have to have 3 just to keep the population steady.

If so, is it appropriate for a childless 18-year-old on minimum wage to earn that much (he could probably lease a Ferrari or retire at 38)

Is it appropriate for a company to pay a childless person less than a person with children? Why? What if he’s sterile?

Seems very tricky to me.

[jahaja]

In my country, Sweden, we have a very generous child welfare and parental leave. I have no children though. By your logic I should be envious and bitter? But I'm proud. It's called solidarity and having a healthy society benefits a childless me as well.

It's not tricky, and has been going on for the last fifty years or so just fine.

[aianus]

That's not the same as a minimum wage that is high enough for people to raise three children.

We were talking about wages, not state benefits.

State benefits are a much better way to address income inequality or poverty than minimum wages are.

[jahaja]

Well, if the businesses and corporations doesn't want to pay the taxes to fund it, they obviously have to fund it instead.

[Spivak]

I like how the premise of this argument is that it's somehow horrible to pay someone too much. How horrible that an 18 year old be able to afford more than the rent on a crappy apartment. The more you empower young people with a livable wage the less of an influence their parent's money or lack of is on their life.

Just pick a floor that's good enough for everyone, accept that will be people with low expenses who will be "overpaid", and stop trying to figure out what every individual deserves.

[aianus]

I don’t think we produce enough for every minimum wage worker to earn enough to have 2-3 kids and raise them in a dignified manner (or the equivalent in Ferraris and hedonism). Kids are really, really expensive.