Let markets determine the wages
While I do not have a Ph.D. in Economics, it seems Eugene Robinson cannot even understand the elementary principles of the subject. Those minimum wage jobs in fast food and retail were never meant to sustain a single person for years, or a whole family at all. Those jobs were for teenagers and young college students just starting to get their feet wet in the employment world, get some spending money in their wallets or purses, give them an incentive to go to college or vocational school to get a better paying job, or get experience to move up into a management position.