You're right you have to work for what you have.
In Australia the minimum you could expect to earn is around $16 and hour for casual wage earners. Thats with zero experience.

I'm not questioning that educated and hard workers, or just hard workers, should not earn more than their less capable colleagues.

What I find hard to justify is the startling stagnation in low skilled workers wages, despite enormous profits to business owners. In my country the guy who left school at 15 and got a trade apprenticeship probably makes about 80k per year more than double what I make, but I can still afford to live. I finished highschool and I work in an unskilled job. I don't have anywhere near the luxuries he has, and I don't deserve them. I do however, have more than enough food, heating, healthcare, opportunity to become educated, and a small opportunity to become a skilled worker. I can live with dignity. I earn around $18 dollars per hour. Not to mention I cannot be fired just because my boss might decide one morning he doesn't like me.

My point is, my nation is prospering. We have a minimum wage more than triple the united states, yet inflation is lowish. Interest rates are going up but thats more a to do with the mining boom, consumer spending is very high. Business are opening enmass. We have our problems FOR SURE, but it pales in comparison to the states, what is it ? 17 % earn less than 10,000 ish per year ?

Wage ecoonomics well in a 45 degree land the 'free market' which out current economic theory does not allow us to predict the most fundamental changes in our ecnomy, predicts that zero minimum wage = most benefit.

Yet there are enough statistal papers published that suggest the contrary that they're mentioned on wikipedia. I've researched many things before, I know, most small issues in research do not crack a mention on wikipedia. For it to be there it has to be big.

The world economy is BOOMING, yet the united states is in decline.

Plus you don't have a free market at all, lets not kid ourselves.

Perhaps this is a clashing of ideologies. I believe that businesses and technology exist to provide prosperity to the people. That we're all ENTITLED if you work a job to satisfactory level, a standard of living dictated to provide us with dignity and comfort as defined by the level our technological achievements can afford. Freedom not slaverly to the powers that be.

If the economy can afford to pay $16 an hour, it should pay $16 an hour, regardless of if you technically earned it, practically you have by working hard. I highly doubt the capitalists 'earn' their multi millions.

I believe if you raised the minimum wage to $10 per hour and spent money on research, development and education instead of warefare, the economy would bounce back like never before. Not to mention trade barriers of some sorts, because the US isn't as infuential the world economy as it once was.