"One bright spot for California: imports from Texas. The amount of fuel flowing from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast surged nearly sevenfold from February to May. The increase happened after the Trump administration issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act..."

I changed my mind on minimum wage after reviewing the data. I used to believe in letting the free market handle it, like most of you. However, when California raised the minimum wage for fast-food workers, it increased prices for consumers by pennies (~1-2%). There was zero downside... it didn't drive massive automation, nor did it cause businesses to shutter. Exactly the same result as Australia and other American cities... no changes in jobs; restaurants didn't close. We are at record profits for corporations. We are at a record low in unemployment in America over the past five years. We are at maximum social unrest due to wealth disparity. We should WANT to see the lowest-earning Americans go from $12 to $15, to $20, and then to $25 an hour over the next decade. This isn't virtue signaling; this is good business! Why? Individuals earning under $40,000 a year spend 100% of their income. They save nothing... they just spend it at the same companies they earn it at (Amazon, McDonald's, the Apple Store, DoorDash, Uber, etc). It increases monetary velocity. Take the time to research all of this, and you'll find the only downside is for teenage workers, who aren't worth $15-20 an hour. It does depress those jobs, so we should keep teenagers at a lower rate.