We tend to think of money as being a thing that is earned. But for people who are poor, it's more accurate to think of it as being taken.

You can earn $8/hour at a job, but you can't *live* on $8/hour. The minimum wage has to be high enough that people earning it can afford basic necessities.<br><br>We should stop thinking of the minimum wage as being a wage that it is possible to earn. Instead we should think of it as the wage that it is legally permissible to pay people who are not voluntarily employed, i.e. prisoners.<br><br>For people who are poor, there is no such thing as "a job". There is only legal persecution that they can be forced to undergo in exchange for the minimum wage. This is what separates them from middle-class people who work at their chosen profession, who are entitled to fair wages and dignity for their labour.