Raise Minimum Wage !

When there are millions of Americans living at or below poverty lines, something has to be done. Billion dollar companies and businesses that employ workers, paying them low wages is hurting the economy. The reality is, unless the minimum wage is raised, the cycle will only continue. With higher minimum wages in place, the entire country does better and, therefore, should be raised. There needs to be laws put place to raise the minimum wage. Doing so would boost the economy with all of the money that Americans would put into it. With higher minimum wages, millions of Americans can get out of poverty, not having to rely on the government for assistance such as food stamps, public housing, child care, and health care needs. They can afford better housing options in which they want to live. Communities would see less crimes in neighborhoods creating a safer environment. Aside from that, Americans can afford a good education, health care, as well as healthier eating and exercising habits.

The federal minimum wage needs to be increased to keep up with inflation. Most wages are increased to keep up with inflation, but those at minimum wage tend not to see one so the employer can cut costs. Fortunately, some states have already fought this by raising their minimum wages to keep up with the cost of living in that area. If the minimum wage was changed with inflation, it would have been $11.16 in January of 2016 (“Should the Federal”). The lack of wage raises, along with the reduction in purchasing power, greatly affects the poor. Obviously, they have much less money to begin with; taking anything away from the poor hurts them greatly. According to Senator Bernie Sanders, “Since 1968, the minimum wage has lost more than 25 percent of its purchasing power (“Should We Raise”).” This loss in purchasing power will only continue. Inflation always

The main reason raising the minimum wage radically would kill the economy is the pressure it would place on small businesses. According to TheWashingtonPost.com article, Small Businesses are the backbone of the economy. They also cited that many studies from the U.S. Small Business Administration show small firms employ just

The current minimum wage is $7.25, which equals two gallons of milk, one fast food meal or two gallons of gas. Can you imagine yourself working 12-hours a day and only having enough money to pay for rent and put food on the table for your family? With working all those long hours, you can barely afford to pay your utility bills and after that you don’t have enough money or time for luxuries like clothing or vacation. You have no savings as matter of fact, you are in a huge debt and you are living paycheck to paycheck. This is the story of millions of American worker, who are employed on minimum wage. The shocking part about this story is that million of Americans would be saved from this poverty life, if the American government raises the minimum wage. This would not only help the workers, but also the economy because raising the minimum wage would put extra money in the pocket of minimum wage worker and extra spending would help restore consumer spending.

The federal minimum wage law was signed in 1938 by President Franklin Roosevelt in order to keep people out of poverty and increase consumer purchasing power. This has done the opposite by hurting businesses and reducing employment, while minimum wages go up, so will the costs of living. Most of the people working for minimum wage are 16 between 24 years old, 37% of workers are going to school working part time. Enrollment tuition has increased over the years, and raising the minimum wage could mean further increasing expenses. But, for people who aren 't pursuing an education and begin working right out of school, the federal minimum wage $7.25 looks like it can be hard to live on. Raising the minimum wage would most likely increase with the cost of living, making cost of living or tuition even more expensive, making it harder to pay for groceries or bills. Just because someone starts out at a minimum wage job, doesn 't mean they can 't progress through the company and earn a better wage over the years. Minimum wages are more for entry level paying jobs that don 't require any certain set of skills to be able to do what they ask. Maintaining the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 will help stop rise of inflation.

Would raising minimum wage benefit our society? Changing minimum wage could potentially hurt the economy. It would be nice to have an increase in pay; However it would only lead to inflation (The act of inflating or the state of being inflated Webster dictionary) with the economy.

The rent is too damn high! At least that’s what the slogan of “Rent is too damn high” political party reads. As its name implies, “Rent Is Too Damn High” Party is that rents in the city of New York are too costly. However this issue goes beyond greedy landlords; in fact it starts with one simple statement: The federal minimum wage in America is simply too low. According to a national study in 2015, for a family to be just above the poverty level, the head of the house would be required to earn 8.50 an hour, while the current federal minimum wage is 7.25. Not only does the current minimum wage not cover the poverty line, it is more than a dollar less than current poverty levels. A raise in the minimum wage would reduce the number of working Americans who are below the poverty line, decrease unemployment, and help stimulate the economy.

A fifteen dollar an hour minimum wage will affect over three hundred thousand workers and cost over two hundred twenty eight million dollars over the next five years(Deng 1). San Francisco raised the minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour. That being said The Mark Perry of the American Enterprise Institution, Adam Ozimek and Stephen Bronars of Edgewood Economics reported that since the increase many restaurants and hotels have laid off workers (Puzder 1). This comes as no surprise since in 2014 the Congressional Budget Office found that increasing the minimum wage to ten dollars and ten cents an hour would result in 500,000 job losses ( Puzder 1). As of right now 6.5 million Americans are working part time because they’re unable to find full-time jobs and opportunities ( Puzder 1). Raising minimum wage is only going to hurt those that are currently part time, unemployed and the upcoming generation of young adults just now about to enter the working

Jobs that require minimum wage are created for young adults who are in college or high school. They are to help one get one on their feet so that they may further their education. They are not for someone to make a career out of. This being why it does not cover the cost of living. So many adults who could apply themselves for a better ranked and higher paid job, do not. If minimum wage was to be raised then it would increase the amount of people wanting to stay in that field of work. Privileged people should not rely on a minimum wage paying job as their career for the rest of their lives. If one is unable to further their education or get a higher paid job due to lack of skill or disabilities then they do not apply. When one shows hard work and determination it pays off. Minimum wage is designed for jobs with minimum skills. Skills are required for higher paid jobs and degrees if one chooses not to act on this, then they are hindering themselves. Anthony Davies and James Harrigan from U.S. News state that “Not surprisingly, better-educated workers with better skills get the increase at the expense of their less-educated,

“Raising minimum wage would generally mean that those who work for these wages would have more money to spend into small businesses…and that putting their money

Raising the minimum wage is a false idea that millions of Americans have; people believe it will put more money in their pocket and will be making more money than he or she is now. This is a wrong accusation to make. The people wanting to raise the minimum wage is the people of lower income levels. If the government raises the minimum wage, the cost of living is going to go up, guaranteed. Many people think that raising the minimum wage will help kids pay for school, when this actually encourages them to drop out early in the pursuit of money.

Americans have started to come to conclusions that the federal minimum wage is excessively low. The government can stand to help people gain more money, resulting in a less poverty-stricken country. The cost of living or gaining has increased significantly over the past twenty years, and the minimum wage, for most isn 't enough for them to support themselves. There have been efforts to increase the federal minimum wage, but none has succeeded in getting approved. Minimum wages are too low for a human, to provide for themselves and others, therefore the federal minimum wage should be increased.

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.

One reason the minimum wage should be increased is because it has not kept up with inflation. Since 2009 alone minimum wage has lost 8.1 percent of its purchasing power. Therefore, the minimum wage should be increased every year to keep up with inflation. Americans should not be loosing more and more purchasing power every year until

Nevertheless, there is still the argument that raising the minimum wage will impact the unemployment rate negatively (Roberts). One concerns are that business may not have the necessary assets to pay their workers anymore than the current $7.25 an hour wage. Another concern is that a portion of businesses rely on cheap labor so that their profit margins are greater (Smith). Raising the minimum wage to $9.00 an hour various employers are forced to lay off workers, which increases the unemployment rate and hinders the economic growth. Furthermore, with people’s pay being increased they are now able to afford the current demands, which can cause prices of the demands to increase. Teenagers are also negatively impacted due to the increase of minimum wage because the demand for jobs will rise and employers will be more willing to higher an adult versus the teenagers (“Raising the Minimum”). Additionally, when a business is required to abide by the national minimum wage, there is a sense of government control over businesses. The United States offers a free market so businesses enjoy the luxury of being able to make their own choices. Businesses have the right to choose what they would like to pay their workers, but once the new minimum wage is set they will not be able to pay below that amount. A small business with 5 to 20 employees will not experience a noticeable impact from a