The cost to government is not insignificant, but the bigger problem with a high minimum wage is the elasticity of demand for labor. There is absolutely no calculation involving demand for labor that goes into calculating the statutory price floor. Democrats hold a drum circle and decide how much they think people should make and then set out to make it so. Unfortunately, the real world isn't quite as simple as the mind of your average Oregon Democrat. Employers will adapt to the higher cost by moving, investing in automation, or any number of other ways. As the cost of automation decreases while labor costs increase, the economics of automating more and more jobs will move in a predictable direction. The real solution to low wages is for Oregon Democrats to stop persecuting the industries that pay living wages and scaring them away from our state. Let us not forget, Kate Brown took a $100,000 donation in return for prioritizing this bill. That's commonly known as public corruption.