One other point...

I don't disagree that we undervalue certain things. I tend to tip service workers 20% or more to tell them I appreciate what they do, knowing others can't afford to do so and hoping that my tip helps them to earn enough to make coming back to work worth it.

My first health care job was as a health care aide at a psychiatric hospital doing everything from bathing patients, to janitorial work, to changing soiled beds. I have also worked in my youth flipping burgers at McDonald's and loading trucks.

At one level, I believe all work is equally important, but not necessarily equally valued.

So even if the "market" does not value these lower skill workers, I do support earned income credits that subsidizes their wages and encourages them to work without distorting prices. As an aside, I think we should eliminate all income and payroll taxes on overtime work by wage workers. It seems unfair that after they work 40 hours, the government wants to take even more of the extra work they do.