The fundamental problem is the low market price of unskilled labor. A living wage is one a way to deal with it, along with social programs, education and basic income.
However living wages suffer from the problem that they only benefit people with jobs. Even if they didn't increase unemployment, I would not support them because I don't think a person deserves more than their employer is willing to pay. However, I do think that all people below a certain income should have their income supplemented by the government (what we call welfare in the UK/Aus/NZ, US welfare is much more complex).
I think one problem is that the left has encouraged people to think in terms of rights and justice, when the problems around poverty are really problems of redistribution and charity. Saying that you want to help poor people because they need help and can't provide enough income for themselves sounds arrogant, but it's the truth.
However living wages suffer from the problem that they only benefit people with jobs. Even if they didn't increase unemployment, I would not support them because I don't think a person deserves more than their employer is willing to pay. However, I do think that all people below a certain income should have their income supplemented by the government (what we call welfare in the UK/Aus/NZ, US welfare is much more complex).
I think one problem is that the left has encouraged people to think in terms of rights and justice, when the problems around poverty are really problems of redistribution and charity. Saying that you want to help poor people because they need help and can't provide enough income for themselves sounds arrogant, but it's the truth.