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The Benefits Of Raising The Minimum Wage

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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. Prices for necessities are only rising in America. Without the rise of minimum wage as well, families are not able to able to afford what they need. The minimum wage is not a living wage; getting paid 15,000 or less a year is not suitable for basic living costs for most American families. Geographically speaking, it is cheaper to live in certain areas than others. But this doesn’t mean families should be looked at just by how much they are struggling; they shouldn’t have to struggle at all. There is a tragically high child poverty rate, with nearly one in five American children living in poverty (U.S. Census). Parents who struggle on minimum wage affect their children, not being able to keep their families out of poverty. Children are unable to care for themselves and rely on their parents to provide what they need, as well as investing in their future. A classmate discussed how growing up, he was

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