Persuasive Essay: The Issue Of Increasing Minimum Wage

Before people push a minimum wage increase, they need to be totally aware of all of the positive and negative results and consequences that might occur as a result. The issue concerning what to do about the minimum wage has served as an ongoing controversy amongst several people. The federal minimum wage should not be raised for several reasons including the harmful effect on small businesses, the increase of poverty, and the augmentation of competition for jobs.

Imagine a single mother who has has the task of taking care of multiple children, all on a minimum wage budget. This mother’s mind is overwhelmed with worries. Will she be able to pay next month's rent? WIll she be able to put food on the table for all of her children. The single mother lives each and every day with this anxiety, and even with government assistance: Is it enough to live comfortably?

Although America is known as the richest country in the world, 43 million of its citizens are in poverty. Unfortunately, some of them work full time, yet are still in poverty due to the low minimum wage (“Should We Raise”). In 1928, the first federal minimum wage of 25 cents per hour was set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to prevent workers from being underpaid. Since 2009, the federal minimum wage has been $7.25 (Smith). The age old debate of whether or not to raise it is still going on in the US. The federal minimum wage should be increased to keep up with inflation, help support the poor, and stimulate the economy.

For many years, there has been an ongoing and strong debate in the United States on whether or not minimum wage should be raised from $7.25 an hour to over $10.00 an hour. Minimum wage is the lowest amount a company or employer can pay their employees. Many argue that the benefits of raising minimum wage surpass the negatives, yet many also disagree. But as a whole, the benefits of a higher minimum wage clearly outweigh the costs that come with it. Minimum wage should be raised because it would increase economic activity, reduce poverty levels, and allow for less government spending.

I decided to write about how I felt regarding the federal government's involvement in controlling the minimum wage and that I felt they are disconnected in their understanding of the impacts on communities when they raise the minimum wage. I work for a manufacturing company in the U.S. and I understand wholeheartedly what the impact of salary increases due to our bottom line. In very competitive markets the difference between success and failure can be separated by the difference of only a few dollars per part, and while in other countries, their manufacturing bottom line is subsidized by their governments we are forced to generate profits the old-fashioned way through supply and demand. This is why I decided to take a stance in my persuasive essay and challenge the status quo of the Department of Labor and Wages. No longer should the federal government dictate a national minimum wage but should allow each state to establish their own minimum wage based on the economic condition of their counties and their state, as a whole.

Minimum wage is an ongoing debate in the United States. There are some people who think that it should be raised to a higher rate and others who think that it should not. There are many different pros and cons with raising minimum wage. Minimum wage is at a balanced rate that should not be raised due to lack of skill, low education, and economic problems.

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 people of America are all for raising minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour but what the people do not know is that raising minimum wage is not going to help the people in poverty. Raising minimum wage is only going to hurt the people in the middle and lower class by making the cost of living go up, leaving the people with education based jobs making around the same income, and creating a bigger career mess.

“A nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much and so many have so little” (Sanders 1). One of the controversial topics in American politics today is the decision whether to increase minimum wage. Some people think raising minimum wage can only benefit them and our economy. You may be thinking nothing could be bad about having a few extra bucks in your pocket. What could be so bad about raising minimum wage? Minimum wage increasing would cause various issues in today's economy.

Minimum wage is different across the United States and varies depending on the cost of living for that particular state. There are currently 5 southern states who have not adopted a state minimum wage. Those states are: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Presently, there are 29 states have minimum wage rates above the federal minimum wage. I currently live in Germany but my home of record is Arizona. The minimum wage in Arizona is $8.05. Arizona is one of America’s fastest growing states. With a booming economy and a diverse population, Arizona’s cost of living is somewhat low compared to the rest of the United States.

A living wage is a thing of the past when it comes to our federal minimum wage. Nowadays, people tend to be living to work instead of working to live. Our minimum wage standards are simply not enough to keep up with our inflating cost of living. With every passing year our rent, utilities, insurance requirements and food all increase in price, yet the minimum wage has only increased minimally. The federal minimum wage should be increased to help boost our economy and improve the life of all Americans. There are many critics who would disagree, however. They need to be shown how important a role the common worker plays in the community and how hard it is to survive alone yet with a family on our federal minimum wage standards.

Raising the minimum wage comes with two sides good and bad the good side is people would be getting paid better and making more money, and bad side would be product prices would increase. If the price of living wasn’t so outrageous we wouldn’t have to worry about minimum wage or the people below the poverty line. If minimum wage goes up inflation is most likely going to rise and it really wouldn’t make a difference then because the individual would still be in the same boat trying to afford things.

I am a resident in Madera, California. I am writing with my distresses about raising minimum wage. I understand there is a lot of controversy over the subject, but I would like to make a couple of statements of my own of why I don’t think it is in the best interest of the citizens of the United States. One of the questions I ponder with “Is raising the minimum wage good for the American people”? I understand some people will disagree with me but we also need to know how it will impact the business. Without Businesses we have no work, without work we have no money to sustain ourselves we are all connected.

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

An increasing minimum wage in the workplace have both an economic gain for the company, and will produce a productive and dedicated worker. Not only will a company have dedicated skilled workers if they raise the minimum wage, but