I honestly think that part of the problem is that the older people who make decisions on things like minimum wage remember their own minimum wage jobs. My first job paid $3.35/hr. $15/hr is $30K a year full-time. I barely made more than that at my first professional programming job out of college. It sounds insane to me on first hearing that $15/hr is not "decent" pay for an entry level, non-skilled position.