The Minimum Wage Is Necessary Essay

The minimum wage debate has been a hot topic over the past year, especially with the Presidential Election. This is a divisive topic that people rarely agree upon. There are essentially two sides you can take when it comes to this argument. Either people are for minimum wage or are against raising, or even having, a minimum wage. Proponents of the minimum wage are typically politicians who are lobbying for the vote of the people who feel that a minimum wage is critical to their wellbeing, and those who sympathize with people who earn “minimum wage”. Minimum wage is destroying America’s free market economy and someone needs to take action and find a better solution to this problem. Without anyone acting on this problem now, it can potentially be worse in the long run. Raising the minimum wage in the United States will do more harm than good to society because of the long-term effects.

In 1938 congress instituted minimum wage with 25 cents an hour being the first wage. After 78 years seven dollars has been the increase of minimum wage, stated by the article listed on, Heritage.org . Every year the cost of living and surviving in this country increases. You would think after 78 years, minimum wage would not be at $7.25. Many college students work part-time jobs that pays minimum wage to have some extra cash in their pockets or pay a few minor bills. Having a part time job is perfectly fine in college, but imagine not being in college, working a minimum wage job. Lets be honest, the pay checks are no where near what you would like them to be or it isn 't enough to cover everything that you want or need. So, imagine not being in college, working a full time job, with rent, children, car note, insurance, and etc. Many adults work minimum wage jobs, barely making it to provide for themselves and their kids. Your probably thinking, "maybe those people should go back to school or look for a better job.” Yes, that is true but for most people, its too late. A better job requires a degree, most people have kids and cant afford to take a couple of hours off or get someone to watch their kids while they attend school, so a minimum wage job is the only option. So, to make a better life for the struggling parents and the needy college students, increasing the minimum wage is a must for various reasons which include decreasing poverty, increasing health, and relieving

The issue of raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour is a heavily debated topic. Both sources against or in favor of the minimum wage refer to a “growing gap” between low-income workers and high-income earners. Sources against the minimum wage believe raising it will increase this gap, whereas those in favor of the minimum wage believe it will decrease this gap. The arguments in favor of the minimum wage rely mostly on ethical beliefs, such as “pay should reflect hard work,” to advance the need for a higher minimum wage. Whereas, the arguments against the minimum wage use quantitative data like unemployment rates and economic analysis involving supply and demand to undermine the policy behind the minimum wage. Ultimately, the

Osborne v. Ohio, 495 U.S. 103 (1990), is a Supreme Court of the United States case in which the Court held that the First Amendment allows states to outlaw the mere possession, as distinct from the distribution, of child pornography. After Ohio police found photographs in petitioner Osborne's home, each of which depicted a nude male adolescent posed in sexually explicit position, he was convicted of violating a state statute prohibiting any person from possessing or viewing any material or performance showing a minor who is not his child or ward in a state of nudity unless the material or performance is presented for a

Most people have witnessed firsthand driving through a densely populated city and glancing out the window to see camps set up on the streets for people who cannot afford living quarters. These poor citizens are living like this because they either do not earn enough money annually to keep a home and use what they have on a source of food. Increasing federal wage to $10.25 would help these poor American citizens and the children in America as well.

In the summer of 2014, legislature intended to raise the current minimum wage floor of $7.25 in the United States stalled in Congress. As the November election approaches, many Democratic senate members are placing the issue of minimum wage at the forefront of their election campaigns, hoping to sway working-class voters in their favor. The issue of minimum wage has become a matter of politics, politics which far overshadow the far more pertinent concern of minimum wage’s economic effects. Minimum wage is a complex issue, and understanding both the benefits and harms associated with minimum wage is critical to making an informed political decision, a decision hopefully substantiated by economics.

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.

While I think that the minimum wage should be raised to $15.00 an hour, Mark Perry, a scholar at AEI and a professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan 's Flint campus, argues “Seattle’s new minimum wage law takes effect April 1 but is already leading to restaurant closings and job losses” (Perry). Perry wants us to know that the Seattle’s new minimum wage law is “a government-mandated wage floor that guarantees reduced employment opportunities for many workers,” and increasing the minimum wage will surely leads to small business closing and job losses (Perry). However, what he said is erroneous, and a recent report written by Michael Hiltzik, an American columnist and reporter, won a beat reporting Pulitzer Prize in 1999 and won a Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism in 2004, also validated this statement.

How come lets say in this state you get paid $3.00 and at a different state but same job you get paid 8.00$. It's not fair that people get paid more in different states for the same job.

A reoccurring topic in most political debates is whether minimum wage should be raised or not. Many say $7.25 is simply not enough for a family to survive in our economy. President Obama has taken a strong stance on this topic encouraging congress to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour considering we live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Obama argues that one working full time can simply not afford to raise a family on $15,000 a year. Typically, Democrats will side with our president and argue that raising the wage is a good idea, white Republicans will disagree saying minimum wage will destroy business and hurt working class families. Some may see this as a political issue, but I say this topic is simply common sense. Minimum wage should not be raised due to higher labor costs and a higher volume of unemployment.

In the United States people have the opportunity to choose what job they want to work at, its take time and effort also dedication to get a high paying job. Some jobs in the U.S do not require much time and effort to work but the pay is not the best. In recent news there has been lots of attention regarding pay for fast food workers. Most employees that work at fast food restaurants get paid minimum wage which is an average of $8.00 an hour depending on which state you live in. Most states minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and in a few states minimum wage goes up to $9.32 an hour. In the 2014 State of the Union address President Obama asked Congress to raise the minimum wages for individuals working on federal services contracts to 10.10 an hour.

The issue of minimum wage is not a new one to our society, American’s have fought for minimum wage continuously since it was introduced by “President Roosevelt on June 25, 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.” (Forbes) Workers have fought to keep the minimum wage in line with demand.

The infamous author Mark Twain once said: “The lack of money is the root of all evil.” I believe that is the case for minimum wage employees. They denounce the wealthy for being successful while not trying to improve themselves. Although I firmly believe staff and creators should be treated with equal respect, just as every human being, they are entitled to what they earn. In my perspective minimum wage is acceptable when the job does not require a higher education or degree, as a CEO of a company is expected to have. I do not believe that taking and dispersing capital from the wealthy to the rest of America will help our people in any way as the author from The Trouble With The Super-Rich, Barbara Ehrenreich does.

"No family gets rich from earning the minimum wage. In fact, the current minimum wage does not even lift a family out of poverty."

50% or more Canadians fear slipping below the poverty line if they missed one or more pay cheques. In British Columbia, for example, with a minimum wage of 10.24 an hour, it is impossible to live off this alone. In fact, many poor people are employed, sometimes at 2 or 3 jobs, but still cannot afford to meet their basic needs: rent, childcare, food, bills, etc. Fordism shows us paying employees higher wages puts back into the economy and even the company, by allowing workers to use their money not only on basic necessities, but also on recreational activities which boost the economy and support their city and government. Minimum wage in BC should be raised so families with children can meet basic needs, people with minimal skills or education can support themselves, and students can pay their way