So adjusted for current prices, inflation, and general cost of living, the federal minimum wage should be around $14-16 usd, just to scrape by and not starve, and an actual somewhat comfortable income minimum wage would be around $25-27 an hour, which is what many people make with a college degree, (only making said degree less valuable in retrospect). Because of this, you have this “hustle/ grind” culture which is just bullshit. You have all these young people working anywhere from 9 to 12 hour shifts just to get by, and they think they’re gonna make it out of their current financial situation, but in reality, they’re just slaving away at a shitty underpaying job to afford a house and a nice car, which is just sad. Nobody in such a developed society should have to work 12 hour days 5 days a week to get by, that is just modern slavery with some money thrown in.