What's the alternative? Starving?
That needs several things to fall into place, including lots of perspective from a young age.
Ever tried being born in a single parent family, where the parent is also not the greatest role model (or doesn't have the time, working to feed you) to be?
Heck, who said you can even afford taking time off and going to university or even trade school? Or that you've had enough quality education early on to get through it? And what if you're really not that smart to begin with (which is perfectly normal too)?
A lot of people can’t work or educate themselves out of the circumstances that put them in poverty, and it’s no fault of their own.
Many of my friends from undergrad ended up graduating with a mountain of debt, but unable to find jobs requiring a college degree. This forces them to compete for low income jobs (that traditionally don't require a degree), while in the weak bargaining position of being desperate for money just to stay afloat and short on experience.
Many of my friends from who used to live with their parents ended up moving into a low-end apartment that cost market rates, but unable to find housing that they could actually afford. This forces them to compete for available rentals units (that traditionally don't require an outsized down-payments), while in the weak bargaining position of being desperate for any thing considered a luxury just to stay alive and short on money.
OK, sorry for the crappy rewrite. I'm just upset about the idea that we might look at reducing the levels of education in the United States because our employers don't need them.
That's what strikes and things like that are for
It's very interesting how some of the most highly paid contract-based workers in the USA have the strongest unions - actors and professional athletes.
If everyone joined the trades, the supply of trade workers would increase and their hourly wages would go down.
People are not "willing", they are desperate to not end up sleeping under a bridge.
It's much cleaner to tax the employer class's excess income, however it's earned, and redistribute it to "gross up" the worker class to whatever the minimum wage would be. Then employers don't have the option of shifting their investment to automation, self-service, less labor-intensive industries, etc. to avoid the concession.
(minimal wage doesn't work either for the same reason)
Both measures impact smaller employers more too and cause problems for local employers but not global ones.
The good solution would be to either tax local revenue of global companies, hunt the dodges and tariff the imported products (again problematic) as well as imported labour. This stinks of mercantilism of course and could have higher order effects.