Minimum wage is there for a reason - to protect workers from exploitation. We will always have people who lack education and work ethic, then you have immigrants who are not necessarily familiar with a language - all these people are relatively easy to exploit, and they are still human and deserve access to certain basic things (food, shelter, transportation, heat, etc.).<p>While the educated and ambitious are not worried about the minimum wage, it helps a great many people survive.<p>Furthermore, very cheap labour (as well as subsidized labour) reduces the incentive to innovate and automate, which I am sure this forum is keen on.