>And at 16, I'm assuming you still lived at home? Therefore, no rent, no utilities, no food expenses (other than outside the house). Yet the average person working a minimum wage job will be between 25-40 (though over half are in the 16-24 range - we're talking average), female and probably the head of the household.
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>Are you purposely missing the point I was making? Minimum wage jobs were never intended to be a living wage for a family of four. They are meant to be a teenager's entry into the work force and for retired people who want to supplement their social security.

No, I'm not missing the point you were making. Although I would ask you the same question: Are you purposely missing the point I was making. Minimum wage jobs, while never intended to be a living wage, have become a primary source of income for many people. Just like Social Security was never meant to be the be-all and end-all for retirement.. It wasn't that long ago that any money earned by a SS recipient (and duly reported, by law) was deducted from the SS check.