Well, that reasoning was originally revealed to me by an economics professor, resolving the paradox "Germany supposedly has better welfare than the USA, why doe

Well, that reasoning was originally revealed to me by an economics professor, resolving the paradox "Germany supposedly has better welfare than the USA, why does Germany not have a minimum wage?" So basically, that line is 100% standard economic thinking and therefore can be best understood and accepted by making the usual assumptions: humans as rational actors with perfect information and the cognitive ability to weight options, striving to maximize self interest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_economicus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_economicus If we're a a little more relaxed and maybe realistic with that assumption, we might find that it's a complex issue, with people's actions spanning a wide spectrum from "work? No thanks" to various levels of urgency, then desperation trying to find a new job and to make a living. Finally to people who'd be working hard even if unemployment benefits were 3x their wage, out of principle. Point is, there are other factors to look at than the minimum wage alone.