When the government imposes a minimum wage it is placing a tax on those goods and services provided by minimun wage individuals. The price of labor is not independant of the market. The cost of wages are included in what we buy. Since it is a regressive tax, it hurts the very people it purports to help. Not only are less minimum people hired by companies, but the prices that minimum wage people pay for their goods and services go up more than the increase in their salaries. A Big Mac costs more after minimum wages are included in the price. The answer is to let the market determine the price of labor... not a politician trying to get votes by using smoke and mirrors.