The Minimum Wage Debate

One of the most talked about subjects in the U.S economy is the topic of minimum wage. With president Obama’s increase in the minimum wage to 10.10$ per hour people, both economists and politicians alike, have been debating whether raising the bar is a smart idea. At a time when the country the country’s inflation continues to rise at a steady pace and Americans are constantly working to feed their families, some economists know that a raise in the minimum wage would help elevate some of the difficulty. The last time the federal minimum wage was raised was in July of 2009, where rose from 6.55$ to 7.25$. However, there are plenty of reasons as to why the wage should be raised. Some may not think it, but raising the

Although America is known as the richest country in the world, 43 million of its citizens are in poverty. Unfortunately, some of them work full time, yet are still in poverty due to the low minimum wage (“Should We Raise”). In 1928, the first federal minimum wage of 25 cents per hour was set by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to prevent workers from being underpaid. Since 2009, the federal minimum wage has been $7.25 (Smith). The age old debate of whether or not to raise it is still going on in the US. The federal minimum wage should be increased to keep up with inflation, help support the poor, and stimulate the economy.

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 benefits for an increase, then the disadvantages, and in the last paragraph, I will

Raising the federal minimum wage allows individuals to be able to provide for themselves and their families without the need for some type of government assistance. One report explains that families with workers only earning minimum wage rely on those workers for 59% of the families’ total earnings (Fox). Many people associate minimum wage jobs as starter jobs for high school students, but the reality is that the number of college graduates working in minimum wage jobs has more than doubled over the past five years. The majority of people who are earning minimum wage are

Millions of Americans live in poverty unable to find high paying jobs to support themselves and their families. A common belief is that paying a higher minimum wage would help lift people out of poverty by giving those with low paying jobs a higher income, however the evidence suggests otherwise. The 2016 race to the White House heating up, the minimum wage battle is at the forefront of every economic discussion. The rhetoric between candidates within and across party lines is intensifying. Many differing opinions are being heard. As the debate over whether or not to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25/hour to $15/hour rages on, one side stands apart time and time again.

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 his 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage from its current level of $7.25 to $10.10 by 2016 (“Raise the Wage”). This proposal reignited public debate over the issue and drew yet another line in the sand between Democrats, who generally favor the President’s proposal, and Republicans, who generally favor keeping the minimum wage as is. Supporting each side’s arguments is a wide array of economists whose work is heavily drawn upon to further the current discourse. Republicans typically reference the work of neoclassical economists, who hold the belief that the minimum wage should remain at its current level, with some on the more extreme end even advocating for its removal

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

“Raise the wage!” reads many protestors’ signs across America. Many people believe this to be the answer to the financial inequality that plagues our country. The federal minimum wage was established to keep workers from settling on a poor living standard (Leonard A.11). Since this was passed, multiple debates and issues have risen. One begins to ask the question, is this truly the best way to resolve the unequal distribution of wealth? After research, it has been found that there are many drawbacks that are related to raising the minimum wage. Because of the number of harmful, detrimental, disadvantageous effects of increasing the base pay, the country should not continuously raise it.

The United States of the 1990 's is a country of increasing disparity and poverty; where the wealthy are moving ahead while at the same time the working class falls even further behind. In this economic phenomenon, the middle class virtually is disappearing from society. One of our many major defenses to make sure those of the working class is receiving a fair wage, is legislation providing for the one. While several oppositions of the minimum wage cite labor supply and demand concerns with a

Minimum wage always seems like a topic of conversation in the media. As of now, the current set minimum wage has been claimed as not being a livable wage, therefore there has been an outcry to raise it. However, we cannot turn a blind eye to what that may do to our economy. While raising the minimum wage can have a beneficial effects of providing a livable wage, reducing the need for dependent of poverty-focused government resources, and may even reduce crime, there can be many hidden problems that crop up through the woodwork that can undermine this improvement.

Encouraging low-income families to work was a good approach; but would it be as sufficient as raising the minimum wage because the proponents justified the lack of progress so far, it is because of the real value of the minimum wage which has fallen more than a third from its peak in the late 60’s. And they assure that later on, raising the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation would help to raise wages and reduce poverty.

However, the minimum wage hikes are sold to the low-skilled workers, the studies show the hikes can equate to job loss or hours substantially reduced. Further, compounding income disparity or causing income losses and increased poverty. The net loss, the families of the low-skilled worker are not better off and in many cases, such as single mothers, worse off. (Sabia & Burkhauser, 2010 p 5) Providing a slightly more positive view but statistically insignificant, some low-skilled workers who remain employed tend to move toward the high side of the poverty level but not out (Neumark & Wascher, 2002).

One of the main causes of poverty in America is due to the low minimum wage that barely supports living conditions. According to statistics gathered by the United States Census Bureau, the poverty rate in America was 14.8 percent in 2014, which was not significantly different from 2013. The insignificant change of poverty indicates that the economy did not undergo improvement during that time. The most logical way to lift the economy out of poverty is to allow more families the ability to support themselves. This would require increasing the minimum wage gradually until it reaches an equilibrium point in which poverty levels start decreasing. This equilibrium point is reached when an increase in minimum wages would not impact the poverty levels in a positive way. Vallas and Boteach state that President Obama’s call for raising the minimum wage

The status quo surrounding the minimum wage leaves many on both sides of the liberal republican spectrum unhappy. This frustration, with what President Obama would call an “unjust status quo” partially explains why the minimum wage has come to the forefront currently. The current federal