People don't open up or expand businesses to provide jobs that give employees the ability to buy those things. If you want those things, you need to get into a field of work that will provide those things. People invest money in business to provide services or products at a profit--their profit.
Take a company--any company that you feel underpays their workers. Now open up a similar business and pay your workers more wages and benefits. Which company do you think will close down within a few years, yours or theirs?
Businesses do nothing more than we American consumers. We look for the cheapest products or services we can find. If you get three estimates to have the transmission in your car rebuilt, you generally will take the lowest bid. You don't ask the transmission place what they pay their mechanics, what kind of benefits they provide, if their mechanics have the ability to buy new cars every five years or purchase a home. You just care about getting the work you needed done for the lowest price.
This is bullshit Ray. Even if you get an education and become a professional, or open your own business and live off the work of others, the economy still needs people to flip burgers, deliver pizzas and clean office buildings. If everybody opens a business or becomes a professional, who is going to do these low wage jobs? These people are entitled to a decent wage for a decent day's work.
There are a lot more workers than there are business owners or professionals, and while all jobs shouldn't be receiving equal pay, all full-time jobs should provide as least a modest roof over your head, food and clothing for a person, especially when the corporation is booking record profits.
The low wage bank job I had when I first left school paid minimum wage, and I had a two room apartment in downtown Toronto which I shared with my best friend. We couldn't afford much - bus passes for transportation, and lots of Kraft dinner for supper. An occasional concert at Ontario Place. But we didn't need social assistance to pay for any of this.