Argumentative Essay On The Minimum Wage

Minimum wage has caused controversy throughout history between the two parties in government, the Democrats and Republicans, debating if they should increase minimum wage or not. Minimum wage was first established during 1938 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Sessions). The first act to enforce employers to pay its employees is the Fair Labor Standards Act which followed the Social Security Act (Sessions). Minimum wage started as twenty-five (25) cents per hour which doesn’t seem like a lot, but it was at that time (Sessions). The United States tended to raise the minimum wage when the standard of living changed. Since 1938, two other amendments were created to increase minimum wage laws even more. By 1961, minimum wage raised to $1.15 with another increase in 1963 (wages). Since the 1963 wage change, minimum wage created a trend of increasing yearly or every other year (Wages). From 2007 to 2009 minimum wage increased each year making the current minimum wage $7.25 (wages). Sine minimum wage has been established, Congress has increased minimum wage twenty-two times (22) (). Since minimum wage is supposed to change when the standard of living changes, then why hasn’t the United States government changed it since 2009?

The minimum wage debate has been a hot topic over the past year, especially with the Presidential Election. This is a divisive topic that people rarely agree upon. There are essentially two sides you can take when it comes to this argument. Either people are for minimum wage or are against raising, or even having, a minimum wage. Proponents of the minimum wage are typically politicians who are lobbying for the vote of the people who feel that a minimum wage is critical to their wellbeing, and those who sympathize with people who earn “minimum wage”. Minimum wage is destroying America’s free market economy and someone needs to take action and find a better solution to this problem. Without anyone acting on this problem now, it can potentially be worse in the long run. Raising the minimum wage in the United States will do more harm than good to society because of the long-term effects.

"According to a 2014 Congressional Budget Office report, increasing the minimum wage to $9 would lift 300,000 people out of poverty, and an increase to $10.10 would lift 900,000 people out of poverty.” Currently the federal minimum wage is $7.25. The government should raise the minimum wage to $9.25 per hour. We need to raise the minimum wage to the point where the lowest paid worker can afford their basic needs. Raising the minimum wage would strengthen the workforce and the economy.

The issue of raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour is a heavily debated topic. Both sources against or in favor of the minimum wage refer to a “growing gap” between low-income workers and high-income earners. Sources against the minimum wage believe raising it will increase this gap, whereas those in favor of the minimum wage believe it will decrease this gap. The arguments in favor of the minimum wage rely mostly on ethical beliefs, such as “pay should reflect hard work,” to advance the need for a higher minimum wage. Whereas, the arguments against the minimum wage use quantitative data like unemployment rates and economic analysis involving supply and demand to undermine the policy behind the minimum wage. Ultimately, the

I have been in the workforce for many years and have just recently enrolled at SNHU to finish my Business Degree. Most of my working career has been in management where I have personally hired over 350 employees over the years and truly understand that a person’s salary must be synchronized to the value that an individual brings to your company. The lower the wage the less important this really is, the higher the wage the more value that they have to bring to the table. As the minimum wage increases so must the abilities, skills and education level of the worker. My persuasive essay “The Economics Against a Federally Mandated Minimum Wage” presented many challenges since the issue impacts not only the worker but the business and the unemployed as well. I found this to be a very complex issue and required a great deal of extensive research and evaluation in order to find strong supporting evidence and articles that would support my position.

Raising minimum wages is a contestable issue because it is debated in wide and varied audiences. Minimum wage is near the top of economists’ interest; they are looking for the connection between low wages and poor job markets. Each country sets its own laws and regulations regarding wages. For this reason, it has significant importance to policy makers and workers in each of those respective countries. Social activists have also found interest in the topic due to the fact that those who earn a minimum wage tend to come from poor minority families. Furthermore, the average American should have the strongest interest in the conversation because most citizens have been paid a minimum wage at some point in their life. Due to this fact, the idea of a significant federal minimum wage increase in America is open for debate specifically to rejuvenate the job industry, improve living conditions for citizens, and strengthen the economy as a whole.

increasing the minimum salary in the U.S; while looking out the underlying obstacle of the

When we think about minimum wage and what our belief on raising it is, most people think one of two things. People hold to the belief that a raise to the minimum wage good for the economy or it is bad for the economy. The authors of “the minimum wage debate” (Hassett & Strain, 2013) would attempt to have us look at the debate in another way. In their article they use a number of rhetorical techniques on us to try and have the reader examine why they are in favor of a raise in the minimum wage. Are we in favor of the minimum wage increase because we believe it will truly help the American people or do we believe in it because we are told to by the government?

Protesters demonstrate for higher minimum wages every year. Protesters demand even higher wages than what some employers can handle paying. All people want to be able to live without worrying if they can pay for the necessities of life. We all want to be able to enjoy the high life, which comes with earning more money. Even if the amount of minimum wage cannot benefit us all with great impact, it can at least benefit those who need the money to rise above the poverty line. Many people don’t understand that there are also negative outcomes of wanting increase the minimum wage for employees. Most people only consider that the money earned will help themselves and their family members. Nevertheless, one thing the people know is that a small wage of 7 – 8 dollars isn’t enough to live well on. Nor is a higher wage of 10 – 15 dollars satisfying enough for us either. These issues show we need a balanced

The problem addressed in this dissertation is the federal minimum wage in the United States (US). The federal minimum wage in the US has been at a standstill for many years. While policy makers are undecided whether to increase the federal minimum wage, the workforce is held in a quandary. The lag time between increases in the minimum wage imposes grief among the workforce and they’re families. (Addison et al, 2013) Workers earning only the minimum wage face daily struggles with a list of impossible situations, including adjusting to economic changes, healthcare issues, unpaid bills and employment injustice. (Milkman et al, 2012; Smith, 2015) Changes within the consumer price index (CPI) generate situations where many individuals and families

Throughout “The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage”, the Editorial Board references numerous experts to validate their claim that the minimum wage is unfairly set. Therefore, the Editorial Board references the chart “If the Minimum Wage Had Kept Pace With …” from the Economic Policy

There has been many conversations about what the positive impacts can come to America 's lowest income workers as a result of an increase in the minimum wage, and there has also been equally as many discussions over the negative effects the increase can have on similar people. This paper’s purpose is to combine each viewpoint and objectively analyze the arguments for and against an increase in the minimum wage. I will first discuss the

The minimum wage is a complex issue specially here in the US, I keep asking myself the question: what gives government the right to set wages?  Where in the Constitution does it say that this is the government's role?  Wouldn’t be best to let the free market determine the wages earned? Wouldn't there be more incentive in improving ones’ skills if they are hired according to their ambition and desire to improve? Giving that one of the obscure effects of minimum wage is the mentality that kids should stay in school in order to earn a better life and yet we're shocked, when these same kids end up not being able to find a job or needing to take a minimum wage when they graduate college, and what about people without an education? Commonly the only

Since this is one of the civil right defenses, the legislation is one of the most important and major weapons to safeguard that the workers are appreciated by receiving a fair wage for his services. Research shows there no such evidence that a higher wage will results in unemployment as the opponents have opposed of increasing the minimum wage argues. In fact, it is appropriate evidence to prove that higher federal minimum wage does not result in unemployment but it does help in improving the living standards of families and individuals (Meer, & West, 2015). Additionally, by raising the wage will associate the productivity increase in which far more individuals will be willing to work and concentrate on their jobs instead of trying to engage

The minimum wage has arguably become the most controversial topic regarding our economy today, as it influences one of the largest classes of people within the United States, the working class. Federally, the minimum wage has not been raised in eight years, so it has stayed at $7.25 per hour for all non-exempt workers (U.S. DoL). The opinions on this topic are typically split across a progressive-conservative line, with progressives being in favor of a raise from $7.25, and conservatives wanting to stay at the current rate. This can be seen when looking at the typical progressive stances from states and municipalities that raise the minimum wage for businesses operating within their jurisdiction, since the higher rate among all levels of