@Jaxk Looking at the job sector I’m in, it looks like there are plenty of decent-paying jobs; one’s that pay living wages or better rather than minimum wage. A bit surprising even to me since it’s manufacturing, but I know tons of people earning fair money ($18–20k/yr for untrained positions) even in retail/service sectors.
Look at the job creation in WA, or compare Costco to Walmart; there are many examples where paying better leads to more growth, with the only thing really suffering being the CEO salaries. I mean, if you’re a restaurant owner with 3 locations and have to open 2–3 more to meet diner demand, are you going to keep your headcount the same? No, you’d probably do a little hiring.
Maybe things are a bit different in your part of the world, but where I am and most places I read about are either doing it the “Socialist” way and succeeding, or doing it the “red state” way and doing less well in general. I will choose what works at least somewhat, and may actually try something new just to see it’s an improvement, but I still won’t choose something that doesn’t work. I’d like more options than what we have now, but if given a choice between mediocre and unsustainable, I will go with mediocrity.