system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: I think raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would do more harm than good

I think this for 3 reasons. 

1.) it's bad for business: a lot of businesses have very thin profit margins to keep items at their lowest cost (Kroger has a 1% profit margin to keep things at their lowest cost). Smaller businesses would crumble. These companies wouldn't be able to keep their costs low and swallow the increase employment costs without increasing prices 

2.)  It would hurt marginalized groups: A $15 minimum wage would create a barrier for less privileged people to actually find employment. I believe that that if we're in a period when jobs are scarce, people who speak little English and don't have a strong educational background will have a really hard time convincing potential employers that they are worth $15 an hour

3.) It would actually hurt lower income workers more than aiding them: the median wage in the US is $16.71. By increasing the minimum wage to $15 would make the minimum wage 90% of the median. By increasing the cost for labor, the demand is reduced, which could lead to massive layoffs.

I do think the government should help the poor, but I believe that increasing the minimum wage is a bad way of going about it.
gpt
You only talk about the labor cost side of the increase, you're completely ignoring the effect on consumer demand. 

Consider that people on minimum wage are, by definition, going to spend almost all of their income. Generally, economically speaking, the poorer you are, the smaller the percent of your income you're able to save and invest, due to the fixed costs of life (rent, utilities, toilet paper, food, etc).

When the poorest people (those on minimum wage) get a raise, almost all of that raise is going to go right back into the market in the form of spending. That is, Kroeger may now be paying their employees more, but they are also going to have higher revenue, as are *all* companies whose customers include people on minimum wage. So yes, your profit margin shrinks, but your volume of sales grows. Depending on the ratio between those two changes, you might actually end up making more money in the long run. 

Whether you agree on the ratio or not, you absolutely cannot form a valid or informed opinion on minimum wage unless you weigh *both* the effect of increased labor costs **and** the effect of increased consumer demand.