> The point of minimum wage is to outlaw jobs that cannot reasonably feed people doing them. (Subject to societal norms.) OK, how does a society put a dollar f

> The point of minimum wage is to outlaw jobs that cannot reasonably feed people doing them. (Subject to societal norms.) OK, how does a society put a dollar figure on what a reasonable minimum wage should be, subject to societal norms, as you put it? Keep in mind that what an unskilled worker 'll end up with at the end of any given week will be: - agreed hourly rate x hours worked If the unskilled worker ends up with pneumonia for that week, s/he essentially gets nothing since no hours were worked, so a minimum wage doesn't really insure against inability to work due to circumstances beyond one's control. That's a separate issue on its own.