Bill Maher was talking about this kind of thing the other night...
In the States, the average worker at McDonald's or Burger King is 29, so these aren't kids getting some spending money. They work a full time job but don't get paid enough to actually pay the bills, so they rely on food stamps or some other sort of social assistance to make ends meet. So basically, McDonald's isn't paying them enough to live, so taxpayers are making up the difference. I don't know if I'd call this "subsidizing" of McDonald's wages, but it sure sounds like it.
Not a lot of motivation to work a full time job that won't cover the basics, so that motivation thing probably works both ways. "Why should I work when I can get welfare" vs. "Why should I work, when working doesn't even put food on the table".
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