Today, the minimum wage conversation is becoming an increasingly controversial, yet common topic. Many people are unsympathetic concerning the idea of a “living wage”, and they often belief that individuals should go to college or learn a trade if he or she wants a living wage. However, some individual’s life circumstances do not allow for opportunities that you or I have. Additionally, many individuals are misinformed about who the minimum wage increase actually benefits.
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
It has been over eight years since Congress has raised the federal minimum wage. Back when Obama was president, a few stated did raise their minimum wage, which had a higher job growth in that year (2014). Three out of four Americans support an increase, yet Trump and Congress are more focused on other issues such as health care and tax reform (Chris Lu, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor). Raising the minimum wage would help families and children who are living in poverty, diminish the gender wage gap and help racial justice issues, and relieve the government of financial burdens.
Raising the Minimum Wage For most people when they start their first job they are paid minimum wage and working fast food or retail. Minimum wage is the lowest hourly rate that an employer is required to pay their employees. The United States federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour.
Should the minimum wage be raised? Workers today working in the lower level jobs are receiving a low wage that will not financially support them. Most people think that if the minimum wage was raised that it would have a huge impact on the unemployment rate in America today but that is not the case. The minimum wage has been a huge topic lately on if it should be raised, stay the same, or if they should raise it gradually. People have different opinions on if it should be raised or not based on many different reasons. Minimum wage should be raised because it will not have a significant impact on unemployment, it would lower the rate of poverty in America, and also it would benefit those working lower level jobs.
Do you believe minimum wage should be raised? Minimum wage means that a person is earning $7.25 or less per hour depending on their occupation. For many years now, minimum wage has been a huge controversy. I believe many people that work and earn above minimum wage believes that minimum wage should not be raised. Whereas the other people that is working and earning minimum wage believe that it should be raised. Raising minimum wage may have more positive than negative outcomes and increasing it can help many people in different ways. Three reasons why minimum wage should be raised are poverty, it would increase consumer spending, and it would improve the people earning minimum wage health.
Raising the Bottom Line Money. It makes the world go round. No matter how hard one may try, it is nearly impossible to get anything done without it. From goods to services, money is an essential in society. While some people acquire wealth by doing little to nothing, most must work to get money and participate in the economy. Some people make high wages, while others make significantly small ones. A pressing political issue is whether or not the federal minimum wage should be increased in order to aid these low wage workers in moving up the economic ladder. While this proposal sounds like it is in the best interest of low wage Americans, it does more harm than good. The federal government should keep its minimum wage at $7.25 instead of raising it to the proposed $15 in order to encourage social mobility and aid the U.S. economy.
The first federal minimum wage was twenty five cents an hour. Which was set in place in 1938 as part of the New Deal passed by Franklin Roosevelt. Now, the federal minimum wage in America is $7.25 an hour. There is a high rate of controversy as to whether the
The minimum wage is the lowest amount of employer’s pay which is required to pay an hourly worker. The hourly minimum wage rate that an employee will receive depends on the state in which they work and the type of job they are working at. If the minimum wage of the employee is reduced, they can have an effect on their household’s lifestyle. An increase in the minimum wage can raise the standard of living for impoverished workers and also indicate the standard of living in a certain country. Furthermore, it can also reduce race and gender in equality and poverty. On the other hand, there are also have many reasons that the minimum wage should not raise. First, some minimum wages can cause an unemployment because when the minimum wage increases some employers will have more incentive to invest in technology and machinery instead of human resources. This reason can also increase poverty in the country. Second, it can cause the price of a consumer good. If the minimum wage is increased, the price of a consumer good might be increased to offset higher labor costs. Third, an increased minimum wage would hurt businesses and force some company to close because the minimum wage is higher than the company’s ability to pay.
As of 2017 the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour (“Federal”). Based on the region of the country, $7.25 may be enough, but for some regions this is not a fair hourly wage. It is impossible for the federal government to make a fair minimum wage. On top of that, a national increase would eliminate many jobs for the American people. Also, a national increase would cause employers to invest in machinery to complete the labor rather than humans. States should be in charge of setting their own minimum wage.
Should we raise the minimum wage of $7.25? President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1938 established the minimum wage of $0.25 per hour during the Great Depression. Congress has raised minimum wage 22 times. The last increase was in 2009 when congress raise it from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour (“Should
Raising the minimum wage helps both the employees and employers. Boosting the economic growth in America. Minimum wage helps ensure a fair wage for the low paid workers. There have been debates on this economical topic for years, whether if it should or shouldn't be raised. In the United States, the Minimum wage should be raised. By doing so it brings good benefits and keeps the economy stable.
The minimum wage is supposed to protect Americans; however at 7.25 an hour most Americans don’t feel secure. The Editorial Board explains minimum wage is “a fundamental labor standard designed to protect workers, just as labor laws and overtime rules do,” not just “the lowest legal hourly pay.” If minimum wage had risen with inflation through the past 50 years, the current minimum wage would be about 19 dollars an hour (Chen). Although, 19 dollars may be too unrealistic something needs to be done. Even just a few dollars would help tens of millions of American employees. Some argue the other government programs are helping American enough, but these substaties can actually lower wages. This is because, “Employers who pay factor the government assistance into their wage scales” (The Editorial Board). People are struggling to make ends meet and provide for their families because the minimum wage is so low. In some parts of the U.S. people would need to make triple the amount of minimum wage just to cover basic needs (Chen).
Whether or not change should be made to the minimum wage has been debated in the United States, as well as in other countries, for years. Some people argue that increasing the minimum wage will overall decrease poverty levels within the nation. However, multiple studies have been performed
The minimum wage has been around since June 25, 1938. When Roosevelt initiated the first minimum wage, starting at 25 cents, it affected 20 percent of the population. Senator Edward Kennedy referred to the minimum wage as “one of the best antipoverty programs we have.” Jared Bernstein, former chief economist to Vice President Joe Biden, stated “it raises the pay of low-wage workers without hurting their job prospects.” Ralph Nader mentioned low-wage workers deserve a pay increase and the government is responsible for providing them with one. All politicians stated above favor a minimum wage, but to what extent should the federal government be held accountable? Raising the minimum wage to $15 would cause unemployment percentage for lower skilled workers to rise.