And if you think a full day of service industry work isn't legitimate, you're so irreparably jaded that nothing further said here matters.
Blame the workers for accepting minimum wage then?
If nobody is willing to work at Walmart for 7.25 an hour, Walmart will have no choice but to offer 8.00 an hour. If nobody is willing to work at Walmart for 8.00 an hour, the price keeps increasing.
Same goes for every industry. Why do you think accountants do not work for minimum wage, and most "bookkeepers" out there charge $50-100 an hour for their work? Bookkeepers who actually know what they are doing costs $125+ an hour.
Same goes for independent welders, craftsmen, and other independent workers.
If the market is flooded with no-skilled minimum wage workers, you know, people who don't want to get an education or try for skilled work, then you are going to have the lowest wage possible.
Oh wait, that's supply-sided economics some people thinks doesn't exist because they have no clue what it is...