[daedrdev]

Most businesses are not very profitable at all. Like 5-10% margin. If you took all their profits and made them wages (ignoring the consequences), thats not a crazy amount of pay increase especially compared to what tech workers make.

[acuozzo]

No one has the responsibility to prop-up marginal businesses by toiling for them or purchasing their goods/services.

Absolutely requiring the American "minimum" standard of living is propaganda set nearly in stone by The New Deal.

I'm a child of the working class. I don't think it does my parents a disservice in stating that their sacrifice(s) and toil were not compulsory. I appreciate them, but my father would not have required extensive surgery to walk again if we had settled for less years prior.