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
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.
Picture this: You are a single parent of two, you work 40 hours a week plus occasional overtime at a minimum wage paying job, you struggle to put food on the table to feed your family, and then you receive a call from the bank saying that your home is being foreclosed. This is the situation faced by thousands of Americans every year due to low income and wealth inequality. The federal minimum wage (FMW) as of April 2014 is $7.25, which is not enough to keep a family of two above the poverty line. There are certain questions on this topic that should be addressed, such as why is poverty and wealth distribution an issue in the United States today? Should the FMW be raised and why? How would raising the FMW affect American families? What are
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.
WOW! The world’s economy has been down for so long that many people have lost their jobs, and became homeless. Which led the United States economy to drop making poverty rate numbers increase drastically since 1938. Many people strive to make a living for their families but it’s very hard to do so if they have no financial income coming in to provide for their families. Which for many families has to be the most devastating thing ever knowing that you can’t provide enough money for your family to survive the proper way. Which is why many people all across the United States believe that minimum wage should be raised. Furthermore, minimum
To start off, the minimum wage needs to be increased as soon as possible in order for it to compensate to the inflation of prices seen over the years. Prices are constantly on the rise and that is due to natural inflation that reflects the U.S. economy. However, what hasn’t been changing is the minimum wage. Currently, the minimum wage does not automatically adjust to inflated prices. Instead, for the wage to rightfully increase congress must pass new legislation for there to be a federal minimum wage increase to take place in the country (“Minimum Wage”). The problem here is seemingly apparent. Prices keep rising but the minimum wage still remains stagnant. This causes countless numbers of families to face a dip into the poverty level and worry no longer about being able to support and sustain their family. No parent should ever have to face a grim reality where there is seemingly no feasible hope for their children to live
In many cases in the U.S. people are suffering from the very low hourly wages. According to David Cooper: “As wages go down, the percentage of workers relying on public assistance gets higher: 60 percent of workers earning less than $7.42—only slightly higher than the $7.25 federal minimum wage—receive some form of means-tested public assistance.” Because the minimum wage is so low, many people are forced into programs, such as Medicaid, food stamps and the Earned Income Tax Credits (Cooper). Because many families are being forced into a life of poverty, the government should raise the minimum wage.
The minimum wage is basically the lowest an employer can give there worker an hour, and abide by the labor laws. In most states the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, but in California and Massachusetts the wages there is $10.00 per hour. Senator Bernie Sander agreed to living in poverty with the wage set at $7.25 per hour, and that if he made it into the office that he would introduce a bill to raise the wages all over to $15.00 per hour. The benefit of raising the wages would help low income families throughout the economy, and help with unemployment. Overall, this is based on our President and Congress whether a law like that can be passed.
Raising minimum wage has become one of today’s most popular issues to debate. Minimum wage has not grown along with inflation throughout the years and it has caused many people to fall into poverty in the United States. But what is Minimum wage? It is the minimum pay a worker is entitled to for their labor. Meaning that it is illegal for employers to pay a worker less than the minimum with the exception of a few jobs like waitressing. On July 24, 2019 the The Federal Government set minimum wage at $7.25 per hour. Although some states have established their own minimum wage standards most conform to the Federal mandate.
Furthermore people cannot pay the bills and take care of themselves on minimum wage. Minimum wage often cannot pay adult bills. Although in the past the minimum wage was way below what is it today, consumer prices have increased a total of 482%. Even college tuition has gone up 994% in pricing than in 1970, and that’s only
Raising the Federal Minimum Wage to fifteen dollars an hour has caused a major dilemma in the fast food industry. Minimum wage jobs were originally created for high school students, and were never intended to become full time jobs. Over many years they have turned into being full time jobs for anyone. The Federal Minimum Wage should not be raised to fifteen dollars an hour.
In America, basic standards of life are believed to be available for everyone. Many programs are in place to help people try to meet the ‘so-called’ standard. America still has citizens in poverty. Today, young adults fight to raise the minimum wage, believing it will help resolve the poverty issue. Even so, raising the minimum wage should be opposed for the following reasons: the economy must stay in balance, companies will begin to increase the outsourcing of jobs, and it will eliminate jobs completely.
In modern day society, there has been a present minimum wage of $7.25 since 2010.
“Paying your employees well is not only the right thing to do, but it makes for good business”-Jim Sinegal, CEO of Costco. Many of America’s employees are not being paid well, however, for the annual income of a full-time employee who works year-round is less than $16,000 (about $15, 080) according to the current federal minimum wage (Rebuilding). To put into retrospect how out-dated the federal minimum wage is, consider that the minimum wage of 1956 amounted to exactly $7.93 in 2009 (Henderson). How progressive is it that our nation’s workers being paid less today than workers from the 50’s? The federal minimum wage should be raised in order to assist families out of poverty, to ensure the effort and loyalty of workers, and
A foreigner may be appalled by the multi-billion dollar salaries of America’s top business leaders after being informed that full time workers at the bottom level struggle to afford basic necessities. The federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.35, has been proven inadequate to support those who rely on it, as millions of minimum wage earners are limited to subpar housing, poor medical care, and cheap, unhealthy food, despite working one or more full time jobs. The federal minimum wage should be increased because it is not adjusted to modern economic conditions, would benefit the economy, and would substantially decrease the number of Americans living in poverty.
The minimum wage can often be the salary made at the starting point of a large career. It is the wage that many people commence earning when they are just starting work. For others, however, it can the measly, tiring, and meager wage that requires them to live paycheck to paycheck. This is starting a push for a higher federal minimum wage, thinking it will give succor to the individuals trapped in that position. However, the federal minimum wage should not be increased because it would hinder small business and augment competition among workers.