Actually for many Oregonians, getting any job is their immediate career goal.  Since most of the job market today ivolves low paying service sector employment, it's not inaccurate to say "yes, a minimum wage job is "a" career goal.  Hopefully many will be able to find better jobs which get them closer to  actual "family wage" employment.  But, let's be frank and realistic here.  In Oregon there are tens of thousands ofminimum-wage workers who have held their same job for five or more years.  If you have a list of "better" career jobs available, send it to me and I'll give a copy to each one I see.  

If you take a look at the actual "financial disasters" we've experienced over the last 30 years, an increse in the minimum wage seems rather insignificant.