A lot of people who support minimum wage increases don't think that way though. They _do_ think the local McDonald's is raking in cash and not sharing the profits.
Conceptually, I agree with what you're saying (I also feel very strongly about off shore manufacturing for the same reasons) but, practically, when you increase the minimum wage, the poverty jobs will disappear and _eventually_ be replaced. The problem is the transition period. The real minimum wage is always zero.
> but, practically, when you increase the minimum wage, the poverty jobs will disappear
If we're talking about raising the minimum wage arbitrarily high, then this is true.
But this argument also gets made a lot when we're talking about a specific proposal (such as $15). For a specific proposal this argument is not always true.
It was raised a ton in Seattle when Seattle was considering a $15 minimum wage. Endlessly. The main argument was that it would devastate employment for the jobs it was supposed to improve.
Then the minimum wage increase passed and it didn't do that. Employment in those jobs actually went up slightly (probably not a casual increase, probably more coincidental). But it certainly didn't devastate the employment in minimum wage jobs.
So, the argument is one that feels compelling since it is true in the extremes. But it needs to be evaluated with the facts of each proposal.
Do you have anything to back that assertion up, that the poverty jobs will disappear?
The only articles I've ever found that say that come from the Heritage Foundation or the American Enterprise Institute, and neither of those is anywhere near an unbiased source.
All the research (excluding the pieces from those two think tanks) suggests that the job markets remain stable through minimum wage increases, and in some cases the labor markets actually gain jobs -- possibly because more money in the hands of poorer people is going to go right back out into the community, as a matter of need.
Conceptually, I agree with what you're saying (I also feel very strongly about off shore manufacturing for the same reasons) but, practically, when you increase the minimum wage, the poverty jobs will disappear and _eventually_ be replaced. The problem is the transition period. The real minimum wage is always zero.