disclaimer: I'm not american minimal wage is retarded concept. no argue there. but who deciedes what "good jobs" are? why you think the government knows that manufacturing is better then services (for instance)? under protectionism it's politicians and bureaucrats who decides. imports don't just destroy production. they also release resources for other production. if you can produce something for $1000 domestically and import it for $800 you save $200 of "productivity" for something else (inflation and taxes aside).