Before I start let me state that I actually don't see why people are getting angry about how much a burger flipper makes. Also the argument that the military gets paid less doesn't validate anything. It only restates that there is a problem with the living wage.
Both military and burger flippers deserve a living wage. But raising the minimum wage may not solve this problem.
Why?
Inflation is an issue that occurs when the money supply increases faster than the economy can keep up with. That means raising the minimum wage reduces job growth over a period of several years (Meer & West, 2015). In other words in order for everyone to get let's say $15 and hour, the companies have to sell enough to sustain that wage.
But companies make plenty of money why can't they pay their employees more?
Because no CEO wants to make less money. Simply put greed allows this to continue. The reason McDonalds can afford to pay their employees more than the military is because of the capitalistic incentives that push this system.
The military is a socialistic enterprise that runs on our tax dollars. This is why McDonalds is paying more to their employees than the military is paying it's lower ranking soldiers.
This is fucked up what can be done?
If money was distributed through out government positions fairly, than there is no reason the military should not get a living wage. I think we could argue that politicians should not get paid more than the people who fight for our freedom. But I'm sure some one in Washington would have a hissy fit over that statement.
The point is that we shouldn't be getting mad at people that are not making enough. Instead we should be thinking about those who make too much for doing relatively nothing, just drop in on C-SPAN and you can see plenty of them falling asleep during speeches in congress.
Social Gelo with Angelo
Angelo Ferrer (M.S. Psychology)
References
Meer, J., & West, J. (2015). Effects of the minimum wage on employment dynamics. Journal of Human Resources.