Raising Minimum Wage

Raising the minimum wage is a very important public policy issue. Raising the minimum wage is a responsible policy that is supported by research and demanded by the American public. Each day, minimum wage workers across the country struggle to make ends meet and provide a decent life for their kids (Scott & Perez, 2016). Raising the minimum wage is a controversial issue, many believe that raising the minimum wage would only provide low wage workers more money to spend. However, the benefits can be endless for low wage workers. If minimum wage is increased across the United States it would afford the people effected more opportunities for financial freedom. Increasing the minimum wage would raise the standard of living for low wage workers, allow families to be removed from poverty, allow for government welfare spending to be reduced and lastly additional income being spent would positively affect the economy.

The government spends millions of dollars supporting poor families every year. Since the government is already in an estimated $19.4 trillion debt as of 2016, raising the minimum wage would be a way to save them money and pay back some of that debt (Lantigua-Williams). By raising the minimum wage to $10.10, 1.7 million workers would no longer need governmental support to be financially stable. With this amount of people no longer needing the government's help, the government will have extra money to use. Just from the increase of minimum wage, the government would save $4.6 billion from not having to send out as many food stamps alone. And over just one year, the increase in pay would reduce the government spending on income-support programs by $7.6 billion (“Should Federal Minimum”). The government will be able to use this money on other important things that will help the country grow and

A second reason why the minimum wage needs to be increased is that it would help working-class families. When people in America think of the average minimum wage worker, they think of a teenager. Contrary to this widely held belief, this is not the case of modern day America. According to an infographic released by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit that researches economic

In order to reduce income inequality, increase people's economic security, and help get people off food stamps, the government should increase the federal minimum wage. The average CEO makes 774 times the amount of a full-time minimum wage worker according to Cathrine Dill from forbes magazine. If minimum wage increased to $10.10, that number would decrease to 559. Although it’s not much, it still reduces the income inequality between the rich and poor people in America. Also, increasing the minimum wage will increase people's economic stability. Alternet.org states, “It is no longer the case that the people making the minimum wage are largely teenagers. In fact, now more than half of workers earning under $10.10 an hour are forced to support

Raising the minimum wage by 10 percent would cause a 1 to 2 percent reduction of teens and low skilled workers to be out of a job. Because teens and young adults make up the majority of minimum wage workers, they would be the ones most impacted. If the minimum wage were to be raised, teens and young adults, who could be considered less skilled workers, would have to compete with higher skilled and most likely older workers. Employers would want to have skilled workers working for the higher wage. Younger and less skilled workers usually are part-time, and since if the minimum wage were to be increased there would be 550,000 less part-time jobs which would reduce the number of teens and less skilled workers who are part-time by 310,000. Also, employers would not want to or be able to hire as many people because they would not want to pay all of them more. Some people say that increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 would put about 500,000 people out of a job and it would become hard for young, less skilled workers to find jobs because it would be too expensive. Having to pay for many employees would force businesses to raise their prices, which would reduce the demand for their products causing a decrease in demand for the employees who create the product. Raising the minimum wage could increase some people’s pay if they are able to keep or find a job, which is not very

The people of America need to afford to live. Millions of minimum-wage workers today live in near destitution. Minimum wage workers are not paid nearly what they should be to survive. The minimum wage being raised to fifteen dollars an hour helps the U.S. economy, reduces the number of people in federal assistance programs, and is supported by the majority of U.S. citizens.

Have you ever wonder about people who works hard at their jobs and don’t get enough money? My friend's mother is a single parent with two child one is in college and another one is in high school. She works at the Macon County Elementary School as a special need teacher. You can say that most teachers don’t make a whole a lot in the middle Georgia area. She doesn't have enough to pay for daughter college funds or give her son his needs for school. She also struggles to pay for rent, car insurance, and other bills. Most of her family isn't from here so she really don’t have many relatives to support her. Increasing the minimum wage can help families who are struggling with living issues, decrease the unemployment rate, and help businesses with the cost of living.

First of all, while proponents believe that it would bring families out of poverty, opponents say it would actually end up decreasing jobs and leaving many American’s impoverished. According to The congressional Budget Office, if the minimum wage is changed to the ideal amount of $10.10, it would result in a loss of 500,000 jobs. By increasing wages companies would call upon

If minimum wages are raised, many jobs will be lost. This statement is supported when the text states, “A government group did a study last year. They found that about 500,000 jobs would be lost if the minimum wage went up to $10.10 an hour. At $15 an hour, millions of jobs could be lost” (Source 1). This quote further explains the theory that less jobs will be available in America for beginners because it states how many jobs would be lost even at only $10 an hour. If people are beginning to demand $15 an hour, almost double that amount of jobs can be lost. This would mean less jobs available for starters, less options for people to make money, and more people who are jobless or even homeless. As you can see, this could be fatal for our society in the category of moneymaking. Also, with higher minimum wages, workers would be replaced with machines in attempt for the companies to save money. This statement is supported when the text states, “If Congress forced fast-food restaurants to pay $15 an hour, they would have to get a lot more productive to offset those higher costs. That would mean replacing current workers with machines” (Source 2). This quote further explains the theory that less jobs will be available in America for beginners because it explains how the companies would not be able to afford workers for their companies anymore, which may resort to

Although it may seem fair that if the minimum wage rises low-income people will have a chance to earn more money, it will only make the situation worse. To many people around the world, the minimum wage is very low for modern society and is not enough to support a family or even yourself. In the minds of a normal person, they may think that raising the minimum wage will increase the income of a person which will mean they have enough money to buy products. It is invalid and if the minimum wage increases, financial factors (one of inflation) will invert the perspective in which people think of increasing the minimum wages.

Many people currently earning minimum wage are clamoring for an increase while others do not want an increase to keep wages competitive. A minimum wage increase would help out the ones that are currently earning a minimum wage “If the federal minimum wage were increased, the disparity in the minimum wage and tipped workers' hourly wage could grow larger.” (Leah Cayson). A minimum wage increase would let workers have more hours which in turn means more productivity for the business, more money for the employee, and the employees would be happier. The amount of people living in poverty is high enough with many of them living on welfare checks but if the minimum wage does increase that could go away completely reducing taxes for everyone. Many people also believe that the minimum wage should stay where it currently is “Going to $15 adds $128,000 to labor costs, almost 3 times the take-home pay of the owner. Ask yourself how one of the 5 million small businesses with fewer than 10 workers would handle this” (William Dunkelberg). Small business owners are already having to pay a lot of money for labor, supplies, and advertising. Increasing the minimum wage up to $15 will decrease wages for

Imagine standing over a scorching grill for hours, taking care of the elderly, both lifting and transporting heavy loads, basically doing back breaking work; only to be making less than $8 and hour. That is the reality for millions of people in the work force who are earning minimum wage. Whether or not minimum wage should be raised has been a question many people have been discussing for years and has become quite controversial. Those opposed to increased minimum wages would argue that a minimum wage salary is already sufficient enough, or in some cases even “too high”. In spite of the opposing sides, it is almost certain that a rise in minimum wage will either positively or negatively affect several aspects of the country. For one, an increase in minimum wage could result in an economic shift. Furthermore, the current poverty level within the country, with the help of a higher minimum wage, would either decrease or as a result. Thirdly, a change in poverty levels caused by a higher minimum wage would ultimately change the amount of government spending and those who receive it. Minimum wage being raised would definitely be impactful not only the people receiving those minimum waged salaries, but also the economy, their families, and even the government funding.

A raise in the minimum wage would improve the income inequality across The United States. During his presidential campaign Bernie Sanders stated, that the richest 1% of people control the same amount of wealth as the other 90% of families. The increase in minimum wage would help to equalize the disproportionate income inequality that affects all of

The minimum-wage laws reduce employment opportunities for the young and the unskilled of any age. What the minimum wage is meant for is for those with little to no experience who cannot command higher pay in the labor market. This points out that the purpose for minimum wage is to aid those just entering the workforce with little to no experience. So if the wage was increased and business owners had to pay their employees more, of course they would rather hire someone with more experience.

Others think that an employment can have a really good living with the minimum wage that they earn. Economists did research and stated that raising it by 10% will reduce employment 0.01%. What this author is trying to conclude is that minimum wage being raised is a good thing. Everybody stating that raising the minimum wage will decrease job opportunities are not saying the truth because the employment rate will not even move at all. One full-time minimum wage used to be able used to keep a family of 3 above the poverty line and now it can not even support a single parent above the poverty line. One other example that was stated in the article was that nearly 90% of the workers who would be affected by the minimum wage hike are older than 20 and 28% are parents. These statistics show that many people used to make enough for an easy living because it was manageable to work with. Times change and good things can’t last forever. Now many families are struggling to stay together through tough times. Most barely make a decent living but what about a family of 3 or 4? There is no chance for them if their parents only make minimum wage. If it were raised many would get out of poverty and have a better living and by doing this then most families won’t have to rely on the government as much. One other benefit that this can have is the morale of the employees. Any customer enjoys seeing an employee being joyful at their job.By increasing their pay many would be motivated to do better and perform better at their own job. They would also work for the company for a long time and never have a thought about quitting the job. One last good thing that would help out millions and the government itself is that the government would be able to reduce some social programs that helped people that are living in