Minimum Wage Conversation

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.

Ira Knight, who is an author of article “Let’s Make the Minimum Wage a Living Wage”, expresses an opinion that increasing the minimum wage would help all struggling workers and at the same time improve U.S economy. On the other side, Janice Steele in her article “Keep the Minimum Wage Where It Is” argues that raising the minimum wage would have bad effects on workers, consumers and small businesses. Ira Knight’s article seems to be the stronger of the two positions because her arguments are based on several recent studies, and last but not least, she had a personal experience with the minimum wage job.

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

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 benefits for an increase, then the disadvantages, and in the last paragraph, I will

Mike Durant once said, “Making it more expensive to create new jobs is a perfect way to guarantee fewer of them.” The recent, “Raise the Wage” campaigns have sparked an interest in many low-wage workers. However, those who support this initiative are unaware of the economic problems that will arise if this is successful. Several cities have already raised their minimum wages and some, like Seattle, are raising it as high as $15 per hour. Currently, supporters of this campaign argue that the government should implement this increase federally. However, doing so will have broad and adverse financial implications. Ever since the Great Depression, the minimum wage has been in effect — to reduce poverty and solidify that employees

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 14% of the nation lives below the poverty line, the current population is 326,474,013, and 45,706,362 of the population lives in poverty every single day. One of the reasons why such a large chunk of the population is in poverty is because they are not being paid a reasonable salary for them to support themselves and their families. Raising the minimum wage can lead to problems, but gradual increases are made over time, it could be beneficial for millions of people around the nation. The positive effects of raising minimum wage is what makes it worth it. A raise in minimum wage can be beneficial; however, it must be a

The federal minimum wage was raised to $7.25 an hour by Congress in 2009, something that has been carried out only a handful of times since the establishment of the wage in the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. Even with this modest rise in income, the minimum wage today does not provide for a decent standard of living. It has failed to keep pace with the wage growth of an average American worker. The minimum wage was intended provide a minimum standard of living; to aid in alleviating poverty and reward one for their work, however, in today’s economy, it fails to live up to these modest goal. Despite the fact that many adults and their families included depend on these wages to make ends meet there exists stiff opposition to any

The minimum wage has been an important element on the United States labor system and has sparked debates between employers and workers to this day. The main argument against raising the minimum wage is that the harmful effects raising the minimum wage would create do not justify the small-scale benefits generated by the raise. Business owners and conservatives claim that raising the minimum wage will result in job loss, hurt low skilled workers, and may result in higher prices for consumers. In a 2012 paper published in the peer-reviewed Industrial and Labor Relations Review (ILRReview), economists Richard Burkhauser, Benjamin Hansen, and Joseph Sabia, state that while some low-skilled workers living in poverty do see their incomes rise when the minimum wage increases, many others lose their jobs or have their hours significantly cut. Their study concluded that New York’s 2004-2006 $1.60-per-hour minimum wage hike was associated with a 20.2 to 21.8 percent reduction in the employment of younger, less-educated individuals, with the largest effects for those ages 16-to-24. Conservatives believe that even though teenagers are

Quinn and Castle explains why the government should raise the minimum wage and why it’s just common sense. They emphasis that it’s time for Congress to move ahead with this issue, one broadly supported by Americans before the article begins. The authors even show how as of today, as many as three quarters of Americans support an increase in minimum wage, with data polls disclosing majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans in favor of the much need increases in the minimum wage. The authors also explain that by raising the minimum wage how it would save taxpayers billions of

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 increases tend to reduce employment, hurting young and less-educated workers the most. This means that it is highly risky for the proposal to fail to target poor people. Like a trend, job losses have been not avoidable since the earliest imposition of the minimum wage. When considering current job markets, young or less-educated workers already have difficulty finding jobs and gaining important work experience, such mandates will likely make it much

The American Dream is that all citizens can fulfill their potential through hard work and perseverance. Many Americans work long hours under the belief that they are fulfilling their social contract. Yet, even lengthy work weeks at minimum wage can be insufficient to provide for life’s necessities. Many minimum wage workers must supplement their income with taxpayer-funded federal assistance programs in addition to working beyond the standard 40 hour work week. There is an economical and ethical imperative to increase the pay of low-income workers, and this can most effectively be done by raising the federally established minimum wage. The federal government assumed responsibility for ensuring wage fairness by implementing the minimum wage in 1938. However, the federal minimum wage has not kept pace with inflation and is no longer effectively ensuring wage fairness. Recognizing the need for increased income among unskilled workers, several cities, states, and major businesses have raised their local minimum wage beyond the federal level. Yet, this affects only a small portion of workers. It is imperative that the federal government update the established minimum wage across the board to help all workers achieve the American Dream.

With minimum wage increases taking place in several states at the outset of 2013, the utility or lack thereof of this topic has once again taken center stage across the nation. Minimum wage was initially effected during the New Deal by President Roosevelt, and has steadily climbed to keep pace with rising living costs ever since. There are a plethora of arguments that populate partisans on either side of this debate, involving everything from Marxist notions of capitalism to more deliberate ramifications on today's flailing economy. An examination of some of the relevant issues on both sides helps to elucidate the concepts that are truly at the heart of this time honored argument, and convince this writer that minimum wage is beneficial and should readily be employed.

Did you know the minimum wage was $0.25 per hour in 1938? Since then, it has risen to a whopping $7.25. Most readers will agree that there is a problem with this current minimum wage, considering the cost of living and salaries. However, they might not understand the complexity of the issue. In fact, the topic is not simply a question of if the minimum wage should be increased or kept the same, but more of a complex issue involving the different viewpoints about why people agree or disagree on raising the minimum wage. The authors that mainly agreed to a minimum wage increase said it is too low for anybody to live off of; that a higher minimum wage will help create employment and growth in the economy. Mainly the people that disagreed, say that numerous businesses could not manage to pay their workers more, and will be compelled to fire workers; that growth has been advertised to make it more challenging for unskilled workers with limited to no work experience to find jobs or become upwardly mobile.

Increasing the minimum wage is a simple and effective way to reduce income inequality. Over the past thirty years, the depreciation of the minimum wage has contributed to a ten to twenty percent increase in income inequality (“President Obama’s” 12). The falling of the minimum wage value greatly affects the bottom half of poorer workers and average workers and their livelihood compared to the middle class. By raising the minimum wage, individuals and families living in low-income situations are given the means to improve their