The Benefits of Raising the Federal Minimum Wage

To begin, there is an extensive debate over whether if the U.S were to raise minimum wage, could it really help the working poor of low income families. Nancy Cook, in her article from the National Journal, “Why a Minimum-Wage Hike Can’t Help the Poor”, she points out that two thirds of around 100 surveys from 2007 had a negative effect and that it does more for the middle class than the lower one. (p.14). So, therefore, from her

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.

In the United States, the cost of living for a single adult with no children is an average of $28,474 every year (Career Trends, screen 1). This seems like a relatively low number, until the amount of people living together increases. A family of six, two adults and four children, rises to an annual cost of $82,900 (Career Trends, screen1). If an adult were to work full-time at minimum wage, they would only be getting $15,080 per year from their employer (University of California, screen 1). This amount of money is still about $14,000 short of how much it costs a single adult to live. In recent discussions of minimum wage, many people argue about whether it should be raised or not. Although the intentions to raise it are good, the outcome

minimum wages are struggling to live on a salary that is below the poverty threshold. In 2012, the U.S census posted that in a family of three; their income is 18,552, (U.S Census). In most case, one member of the family is working on a minimum wage salary which is below 18,552, (U.S. Dept. of Labor). It has been almost a five years since congress has raised the minimum wage (Huff Post). Throughout my argument, I will share my thoughts as wells as facts on why congress should agree to raise the minimum wage. We

More than 100 million Americans live near or below the federal poverty level and seventy percent of them are women and children. The rate of poverty is even higher in African-American and Latina single parent households where two out of every three children live in poverty. The fact is, the poorest among us are disproportionately women (Shriver). Current estimates are that women comprise approximately two-thirds of the minimum wage workers across America. With the minimum wage at its current rate, it is the women and children who suffer the most. With infrequent adjustments to the federal minimum wage, the current rate has left today’s

To begin with, the minimum wage should be raised at least above 8.50 an hour. According to The US Department of Health, the current poverty level is 17,000 a year, which is about 8.50 an hour (Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism). The current minimum wage is 7.25 an hour, a full dollar and a quarter less than the current poverty level. With this, the average American is not able to afford the basic living standards that America herself has set. The need for a work force has been on the decline in America with cheaper sources of labor being created. Ironically, the unemployment payment an American can receive is in some

Raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour can have detrimental effects on society. Some issues that may arise are increases in unemployment and small businesses not being able to handle the financial burden, which will lead into job benefit cuts. Furthermore, a rise in minimum wage will cause inflation and businesses to raise the prices of their goods and services. People purchasing power will continue to stay the same; the struggle to close the gap between products and services will not

In the United States alone, the amount of people in poverty is 14.5%. That equates to 45.3 million people in 2013. In a country like America, one of the world’s superpowers, it’s embarrassing to admit. But the main issue is to fix issues like these with the minimum wage and welfare. The minimum wage applies to workers who got a job whether because they were in school or because they had not gone to college and had no other option. Most of the country lives off as minimum wage workers as only 1% of the world’s population has a college degree. Minimum wage needs to be adjusted to modern inflation. But the minimum wage allegedly does not affect poverty at all says a large demographic and does not need to be adjusted. The minimum wage makes up a lot of the country and should be adjusted or modified to today’s standard of living.

In present times in The United States the average person working a decent full time job is only earning $15,080 with the minimum wage of $7.25. That money is in your pocket if you work those 40 hours each week for a year which sounds like a decent amount of money, but now imagine all the expenses you do throughout the year as well. The money earned is not sufficient enough to care for families. If the minimum wage it is raised families will be able to live in decent homes, survive everyday obstacles.. The minimum wage needs to be raised to an amount where families are able to only work one job and not two or three.

People all across America believe that minimum wage is a good thing and helps people without an education have a normal life, however others believe it is causing poverty and homelessness among the citizens. Minimum wage was made to provide enough money to live just above the national poverty line.But over the years the cost of living has increased while the minimum wage hasn’t. Today, the national minimum wage is $7.25, which is less powerful than the minimum wage was in 1968. This is because the minimum wage was $1.60 per hour, which seems low but back then $1.60 was enough to support a three person family, whereas today the minimum wage can barely support one person. All throughout  the U.S., workers have been fighting for a higher minimum

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 14% of the nation lives below the poverty line, the current population is 326,474,013, and 45,706,362 of the population lives in poverty every single day. One of the reasons why such a large chunk of the population is in poverty is because they are not being paid a reasonable salary for them to support themselves and their families. Raising the minimum wage can lead to problems, but gradual increases are made over time, it could be beneficial for millions of people around the nation. The positive effects of raising minimum wage is what makes it worth it. A raise in minimum wage can be beneficial; however, it must be a

In the United States the time has come for the next president to be elected and the political fervor has come early this year with an unconventional, surprisingly interesting primary race. With the coming of a new commander in chief the incessant grilling of the candidates has begun and issues, such as poverty in the United States, are being given the national spot light during debates. The issue of poverty has recently gained traction among citizens as well as politicians, and to the credit of the activists behind the increase in outspoken rhetoric gaining increased traction. When each of the politicians on their respective stages discussed the issue at hand, the validity of the problem heightened. This has created minimum wage as its own political issue, which has moved it away from being a suggestion for a problem into a problem of its own. Minimum wage is a flawed approach to the ever expanding problem of poverty. Actions will be taken to battle poverty, however, minimum wage is not the best direction for America to proceed in. A higher minimum wage does more harm than good, hurting the American economy, increasing the price of needed goods, and raising unemployment.

In announcing his proposal to increase the minimum wage, the president argued that doing so would alleviate poverty. The president is certainly correct to turn his attention to the poor, many of whom have been suffering for years in a tough economy. And it is clearly desirable for households that engage in full-time work not to live in poverty. But increasing the minimum wage would

A common solution to moving low wage workers’ away from poverty is raising the minimum wage to increase family income. They would receive higher pay that would increase their household’s income and would experience their family income to incline above the federal poverty threshold. Also workers who receive a higher wage because of the increase of a minimum wage would face receiving less benefits and paying a more expense tax. Raising the minimum wage could possibly result in a small number of low wage workers to be without a job and experience a decrease or decline in income because of a higher minimum wage. Additionally, effects of a higher minimum wage rely on the number of workers that consist in a low wage workers family; if those workers became unemployed (perhaps for how long?) and if there are other adjustments in family income. For example, the decline in a family’s

Low minimum wages affects everyday families and lives, more than the average person would think. A small minimum wage could have an very small effect on someone’s life, such as not being able to afford a new pair of boots or that new phone, contradictory to this low wages could also have a very serious effect on someone’s life . Meaning that a parent or single individual could not support their family because a lack of income, it could also mean the difference of living under a safe roof, or living in the streets. In 2016 alone, 40.6 million people in the United States