Raising The Minimum Wage Essay

Do you feel that the minimum wage is often too low in North Carolina for not only teenagers, but for adults providing for families as well. Do you think that the minimum wage should be raised a few dollars to allow citizens working on minimum wage to pay for college, save for insurance, buy food, and pay for rent? The average citizen must work hours on end to provide enough money to live sustainably. Thousands of kids live in poverty, and barely have enough food to stay nourished. These are the reasons on why we should raise the minimum wage.

There are a lot of people around the world who struggle with money and a satisfactory way of life. Whether they be in the United States or across the globe, there is a standard minimum wage set for the working class of their country. In the Unites States, there is a federal minimum wage of seven dollars and twenty five cents per hour worked. Almost every state has another set minimum wage, which typically is a little higher than the federal minimum wage, but it cannot be lower than seven dollars and twenty five cents. Countries set minimum wage laws, to ensure there is a basic quality of life amongst its citizens. As the minimum wage goes up in certain states, the quality of life also improves. The problem with a higher minimum wage, is now people are getting paid higher for entry level jobs which are meant for teenagers and people new to the workforce. If the minimum wage keeps increasing across the country, teenagers and young adults will have a much more difficult time finding jobs.

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.

The topic of raising minimum wage seems to attract a multitude of controversy. On one side, experts agree that raising a family on one minimum wage salary is almost impossible for someone who puts in fairly large work hours. Nonetheless, business owners agree that increasing these salaries will result in significantly less jobs, as well as force them to increase the prices on their consumer products. Federally, minimum wage workers earn $7.25 an hour, totaling up to $15,080 annually, with approximately six hours of working time per day. However, the price varies with state, with places like Massachusetts and Washington paying $11 to workers hourly.

Increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour will cause more people to be laid off. Labor economist Joseph Sabia of San Diego State University went against the raise of the minimum wage because businesses will start cutting low-skilled workers and their decrease in income will result in poverty. Increase in minimum

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.

If the minimum wage goes up the potential of prices being raised are high. In the article “In Washington, D.C., a boost for the bottom line” Gina shaffer talks about raising prices of her products in paragraph 5. If the minimum wage is increased many stores will do the same in addition to letting people go. Another example of this is image A in our packet. The image shows two McDonald's employees enjoying the minimum wage hike, then a single mom with two kids is in the next part unhappy that the price of a happy meal has risen to

Branching off of financial aid for education, think of all the other financial benefits that the government offers. Such as social security, food stamps, and healthcare. With the prosperity of our economy, these things will be less of a burden on our government and everyday tax payers. This increase in minimum wage will help everyone overall. Health care will become cheaper due to the fact that companies are paying their employees a fixed rate that they can live comfortably with. As the rate increases we will see the use of food stamps dwindle. There will be no need for these food stamps when families can afford their groceries and necessities with their own cash, due to a higher minimum wage. Social Security will gain more money from the employee’s checks, helping later generations. This higher income will give the elderly more support with their social security income. When the minimum wage is higher, our daily and life lasting necessities will be benefited greatly.

Since 1938, when the minimum wage was first introduced (at a rate of $0.25 an hour), the federal minimum wage has increased 22 times. The minimum wage is the salary floor, or the lowest possible rate that employers can pay employees.

As the cost of living is raising every day, it is really important to raise minimum wage as well. Through the years, there have been questions about this topic, but no changes have been made. Some people do not realize the importance of minimum wage or even its history. It is a real struggle for many people because they are living in poor conditions making around $200 a week. That is a real struggle for those trying to provide for their family. They have a really hard time trying to make it till the end of the month. They are afraid and worried at the same time because they cannot pay their bills in time or even go to the doctor if they get sick. Increasing the minimum federal wage could make a difference for those living in unfortunate conditions.

Currently the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in most states. Recently, people have been lobbying to raise the minimum wage. Those petitioning do not recognize how raising the minimum wage will affect the economy and many people’s lives in a negative fashion. Endorsers believe that raising the minimum wage will help those who are poor, but in reality it will cause more people to succumb to poverty. For the sake of all Americans, we must educate the lobbyist regarding the effects of raising the minimum wage.

Minimum wage is at a drastically low number. It has been 9 years since the last raise in 2009. The minimum wage is way to low for people to live off of. Minimum wage is essential for businesses to have a starting pay that is enough for people to be able to provide for themselves and their family. America needs to make a stand to raise the wage. The minimum wage needs to be raised in order for people to provide for themselves, for the US to keep up with other world leaders, and in doing so it will only better the economy.

When I read high schoolers and people who work at jobs that pay minimum wage say that raising minimum wage will solve everyone's problems, it honestly makes me think that they don't understand anything about the economy. When you raise the minimum wage, the price of essentials and necessities also increase. An example of this would be the 1970's, The price of everything was at a very low cost. Such as, Milk which was only $1.65 which today would be far better than the costly price of $3.67. Although you may be convinced that the 1970's seems an easier time to live in, you are actually quite inaccurate. While the prices of everything was low so was minimum wage at a meager one dollar an hour. The price all around of everything increases because

Fast food workers around the country are fighting to raise the hourly pay minimum wage and their union rights.

If the minimum wage were to go up, people would not have a reason to improve their education. This would bring the lower-class and middle-class together, creating a bigger gap between the upper-class, and that of the average U.S. citizen. The average upper-class family makes roughly 70 times the average income of a lower-class family (Fry). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, right now only 3.3 percent of hourly paid workers are paid minimum wage. Raising the minimum wage will greatly increase the percent of people who are paid minimum wage. The amount of workers who would need to further their education to get a good job will decline. The average pay for workers who only have a high school diploma of less is $14.64 (Earnings). Increasing the minimum wage will nearly eliminate the lower half of the average. Therefore, this will make it so people will not have to attend college to get a job to satisfy their wants. People need to go