What about the people who design the machines, manufacture them, program them, install and maintain them, manage contracts with raw materials and parts suppliers, those kinds of people?
All the above are wonderful people.
There are a number of people who dont have the ability to do such complex jobs. These days instead of being productive at their level of ability, they are on welfare or disability.
The problem is, once upon a time, people could get low paying jobs and earn some money doing a job that was worthwhile for an employer to hire someone for.
How often do you see people hired to sweep floors? Sure, there are custodial personnel, but there are a lot fewer of them, and they get paid more. in many places, they are unionized.
There was a time you could get your foot in the door doing some extremely unskilled menial tasks. You didn't make much money, but you could get a start. You could begin to build human capital. The American story if full of people who even worked for free to gain "human capital", and went on to do great things.
When people were hired at entry level positions, those positions were not structured to pay enough to make people want to stay in them. People wanted to move past those positions to make more money, and were incentivized to do so. With the advent of increasing minimum wages and the hideous socialist concept of a "living wage" being forced on industry, is it any wonder those entry level jobs have disappeared?
If I can hire a 14 year old kid at a pittance to sweep the floor, and another young kid to police the grounds, I would do it because it isn't going to break the bank. If I am forced to hire someone who is 16 years old and pay them eight dollars an hour...I just won't do it. It doesn't make sense for my business.
And why should someone be paid a "living wage" at an entry level job like that?