"Raising the minimum wage only hurts those on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder"
I think this is the point that most MW advocates simply ignore or don't understand. Labour has a price like anything else, and if you price it too high, as you say - you are removing the bottom rungs out from the Economic Ladder. I mean, why would an employer hire an immature, 16 yr old high school kid when he could hire a relatively mature 26 yr old college grad w/ life and work experience for the same price? There's just no comparison. You obviously get way more bang for your buck w/ the latter.