Amazon just announced that it will start all of its U.S. employees at $15 an hour which is more than double the federal minimum wage. It's good news for entry workers Amazon, but it’s also instructional as to how increase wages. In our nation, we have a free-market system where employers and workers agree on pay. When the government interferes, there's often unintended consequences. Consider popular fast-food restaurants like McDonald's and Wendy's. Both are replacing cashiers with computer kiosk's where you can make your order. There's no need to wait in line, no need to talk to a cashier. The technology has been there for a while but new laws and small margins consequently led to a reduction in jobs—which ended up hurting the people lawmakers were trying to help.