Minimum Wage Should Be Raised

Imagine being a single mother of three. Now let's say someone didn’t finish high school because they were pregnant with their first child. They are also paid at minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour where they live. Would it be possible to live like that? 1.3 million people in the united states are paid at minimum wage. In some states the $7.25 an hour is lowered or there is none at all. Minimum wage should be raised, although some argue it shouldn’t because of consumer prices.

Minimum wage is the lowest possible wage permitted by law to receive for working everyday jobs. In America, the average minimum wage is roughly ranging from $7.25-$9.00 depending on where a person may live. Through three arguments I have received I have accumulated much knowledge pertaining to minimum wage in America. All three arguments suggest what they believe should be done in regards to whether minimum wage should be raised or stay the same. After watching “Thirty Days in Minimum Wage” by Morgan Spurlock, reading “Economists Argue About Minimum Wages” from The Economist, and reading a minimum wage piece from a news article. I have gained enough facts to realize that I believe that minimum wage should be raised in America.

How does an employer decide how much to pay his employees? Logically, he 'd want to reduce overhead costs by paying them as little as possible. Minimum wage laws exist to protect workers from being exploited by wages too low to live on, as well as in an effort to reduce poverty in society and it 's far-reaching consequences. Many states have laws that raise the minimum wage at the same rate as inflation, but the federal government does not (Whitaker 634). The value of a new minimum wage begins to fall from the moment it is set. Because the costs of living are always rising, it is a hardship on those who must rely on wages which constantly degrade in value to meet these costs. The federal minimum wage, $7.25, has become too little for anyone to live on, especially without public assistance. The federal minimum wage has lagged further and further behind inflation over the last forty years (Covert). The minimum wage should be raised to a living wage for the entire country and set to index with inflation. As the cost of living increases, the wages paid to employees to cover that cost also needs to be regulated to increase in order to address income inequality and bureaucratic oversight; additionally, recent analysis shows that there would likely be modest benefits to the economy in the event of a modest federal minimum wage hike.

Taking a look at the problems facing Americans and how they live may have sprung up from the fact that the federal minimum wage is too low to support anyone, minimum wage is the lowest possible wage permitted by law or by a special agreement. In America, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour for an employer to pay their employees. Not enough to sustain a human, with regular daily functions, such as affording a roof over his or her head, and to put food on the table for them to eat. "A new study by the Organization of Economic Corporation and Development has found that the U.S. minimum wage lags most rich countries. As a share of median income, the U.S. minimum wage ranks 24th out of 25 rich countries"(TheRealNews). So America can stand to give more money to the common low-paid workers in America. Many people, who work for this pay per hour, suffer to support themselves and

To begin with, minimum wage should be raised so that adults can afford apartments. A report from the National Low Income Housing stated, “ In no state can an individual working a typical 40-hour week at the federal minimum wage afford a one- or two- bedroom apartment for his or her family.” People working with a minimum wage of $10 to $13 can’t afford an apartment for themselves. This leads to homelessness. The effect of this is rising poverty rates. People can't afford much, let alone an apartment, and will go into poverty and homelessness. Clearly, minimum wage should be raised so that people can afford apartments.

In America, the current minimum wage sits at $7.25 an hour, but as the cost of living has gone up, the amount paid to some of America’s hardest workers has not. This has left many people working several minimum wage jobs in order to try and get by. This struggle to make it paycheck to paycheck has created an incredibly large economic gap between the rich and poor, something that has largely contributed to the fight for fifteen. With many Americans sitting in the low to middle class demographic, there is plenty of outcry and support for the minimum wage to be raised from $7.25 an hour to anywhere from $10.10 to $15 an hour depending on the city and that city’s specific cost of living. This issue, as most issues do, has pinned many people against each other; some are all for this much needed raise in minimum wage, after all, this raise would help out most of America’s workers. On the other hand however, the consequences of this drastic raise can only be speculated about since worker’s pay hasn’t really been messed with since the late sixties. While there are good points in favor of raising minimum wage such as, allowing people to live more comfortably, and getting people off of public assistance programs, there are also the negative aspects about this pending public policy. Some of these cons are a raise in prices, a loss of jobs or hours, and the cutting out of young teenage workers from the job force. Many cities plan on raising minimum wage over the

The selling point that has brought people to the United States for centuries is the American dream: Prosperity, Luxury, Opportunity, and so on. Unfortunately for many, this dream has been squandered by the receding economy of an indebted country. As inflation runs rampant, the value of the U.S. dollar decreases, lowering the value of household and business incomes. This economic recession has led many, especially those who only earn the minimum wage, to poverty. According to the United States Department of Labor, “The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour” (“Wage and Hour Division”). Some people believe that a solution to this problem is to raise the minimum wage; however, doing so would ultimately result in a negative effect on the

This has resulted in millions of Americans struggling in poverty despite having a full-time job. Although many Americans work 40 hours or more each week, their wages are low enough that they must rely on benefits from food stamps, as well as other public assistance, to sustain themselves and their families.”(Cardenas). As described in the article people do not get the opportunity to have enough money for their family. These low-income families have to get help from the government to get food and help to pay bills. Working at a place with nearly no money made from the minimum wage and having to raise children is a problem with the low salary now at $8.25. Raising the

Several American families are struggling to make ends meet because they work a minimum wage job. Americans often face that fact and wonder how they are going to pay their bills and still have food on the table for themselves and their families. This has been an issue for quite some time now and it needs to change. Americans should not have to worry about how they are going to pay for necessities they need with the little amount of money they are earning at work. The United States would benefit from the minimum wage being raised by the growth of the economy and creation of jobs, reduction of poverty, and reduction of income inequality.

While the rich keep on getting richer, the poor keep on getting poorer. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2014 there were 46.7 million people in poverty. One of the easiest solutions people think of to help alleviate poverty seems as simple as raising the minimum wage. Many people are calling for the minimum wage, or “living wage”, to be raised to $15.00 an hour. Raising the minimum wage will result in higher pay that will increase a person’s income, and possibly allow them to rise above the poverty threshold. However, raising the minimum wage may also result in unemployment and a person falling deeper into poverty.

Back in 1998 Labour 's’ Tony Blair introduced the national minimum wage (NMW). It was created in aid of employers not valuing their workforce, often giving them very little wages. When it was first introduced the rate was set at £3.60 and has slowly risen to £6.70. However this is not enough to live on. It has been estimated that you need no less than £7.85 an hour, rising to £9.15 in London, to survive on. There is a clear difference in what you get to what you need. The national minimum wage needs to be increased to a living wage.

Congratulations, you are hired! The four words that people long to hear. However, for many newly employed workers, their new job will not pay an income that will enable them to live comfortably. In 2015, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 2.6 million Americans, or approximately 3.3 percent of all hourly paid workers earned wages at, or below the federal minimum wage. Since 2009, the federal minimum wage amount has remained stagnant. Bringing this number to a level that is consistent with the cost of living is a basic right for every wage earning American. Raising the minimum wage enables working people to live above the poverty line. Although opposition states that raising the wage will increase unemployment, the increase would actually reduce the number of persons receiving food stamps, stimulate the economy, in addition to reducing income inequality.

Poverty is an issue that has been going on for quite a while. Not only has it increased over the years, but will continue to get worse if officials raise the minimum wage. Some low-skilled workers already come from families who can't afford a house, and the only ones who benefit from a higher minimum wage are the highest-skilled workers who already make good money right now. Raising the minimum wage is just going to allow the higher-skilled employees to out-shine the lower-skilled workers; consequently, leading to more and more poverty because the lower ones aren't getting paid enough. According to a recent article by James Shrek, he stated, " The only workers who will benefit from a higher minimum wage are those who actually earn a higher wage now. Raising the minimum wage reduces many work

Throughout the United States, 14.5% of the population lives in poverty, over 45 million people. They may not have enough food to eat, or may worry about where their next meal will come from. Exact percentages for homelessness are debated, but somewhere over 578,000 people are homeless each night. (Macionis, 2017) Minimum wage is another hotly debated topic, with one side arguing for increases and the other for it to remain the same. One point that is not debatable is that the price of necessities such as rent and food are increasing. It is my personal belief that the cost of living is rising much faster than minimum wage is. Further, it is my opinion that minimum wage is barely enough to support a single person, not to mention a family, and that the so called American Dream is out of reach for most of America.

The minimum wage is supposed to protect Americans; however at 7.25 an hour most Americans don’t feel secure. The Editorial Board explains minimum wage is “a fundamental labor standard designed to protect workers, just as labor laws and overtime rules do,” not just “the lowest legal hourly pay.” If minimum wage had risen with inflation through the past 50 years, the current minimum wage would be about 19 dollars an hour (Chen). Although, 19 dollars may be too unrealistic something needs to be done. Even just a few dollars would help tens of millions of American employees. Some argue the other government programs are helping American enough, but these substaties can actually lower wages. This is because, “Employers who pay factor the government assistance into their wage scales” (The Editorial Board). People are struggling to make ends meet and provide for their families because the minimum wage is so low. In some parts of the U.S. people would need to make triple the amount of minimum wage just to cover basic needs (Chen).