> This sounds an easily defeatable measure. If I'm a politician and encourage the economy to dump all kinds of cheap, low-quality crap onto the market, I will,

> This sounds an easily defeatable measure. If I'm a politician and encourage the economy to dump all kinds of cheap, low-quality crap onto the market, I will, on paper, have greatly boosted the buying power of low-income households That isn't what "purchasing power" means. OP is right - the purchasing power of the consumer is what matters, not the nominal wage. Focusing on the latter will actually be counterproductive, because it will lead to policies that decrease the former.