The Minimum Wage Should Not Be Raised

The federal minimum wage should not be raised because it means employers will lay off their workers, increase cost of products, and businesses might go out of business. "When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less of it. At a time when Americans are still asking the question, 'Where are the jobs?' why would we want to make it harder for small employers to hire people?" This quote shows John Boehner, speaker of the House, giving his opinion on the situation. He is saying once minimum wage prices increase it'll be harder to find jobs because of the price to keep employees. It is all cause and effect, the cause is minimum wage goes up to benefit workers but the effect is there will be less job openings. "The Congressional

What would be so bad about raising minimum wage? Before other states jump on the $15 minimum-wage bandwagon, they might want to look at what's happening in Massachusetts — one of two states with a $10-an-hour minimum wage. Massachusetts increased the minimum wage from $8 to $9 at the start of 2015 and to $10 on the first day of 2016. The state is now mired in its longest stretch of net job losses since the recession in both the retail and the leisure and hospitality sectors, Labor Department data show.

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

Raising minimum wages is a contestable issue because it is debated in wide and varied audiences. Minimum wage is near the top of economists’ interest; they are looking for the connection between low wages and poor job markets. Each country sets its own laws and regulations regarding wages. For this reason, it has significant importance to policy makers and workers in each of those respective countries. Social activists have also found interest in the topic due to the fact that those who earn a minimum wage tend to come from poor minority families. Furthermore, the average American should have the strongest interest in the conversation because most citizens have been paid a minimum wage at some point in their life. Due to this fact, the idea of a significant federal minimum wage increase in America is open for debate specifically to rejuvenate the job industry, improve living conditions for citizens, and strengthen the economy as a whole.

This paper will explore the pros and cons of raising the current minimum wage to $15.00. It will start with the history and reasons for the minimum wage. It will cite the positive aspects for raising it, as well as the negative consequences of that action. It will then touch on actual cases presently, within the U.S. economy. Finally, I will present my conclusion.

Our entire society in the United States is complicating whether or not our nation should raise the federal minimum wage. Ranging from researchers who have been studying this incompatible topic throughout their entire lives to amateurs who simply expose their opinions without any logical reasoning to the public are still not able to come to an agreement for a stable minimum wage. Many citizens may assume that increasing the minimum wage, $7.25, an hour, by a couple dollars may not make a significant impact to our economy. However, there still coexists a complex reason behind this whole topic that is currently disabling our society to contemplate on a solution. Generally, most traditionalists who believe that increasing the minimum wage may hurt the young and unskilled workers in an economical perspective. On the other hand, a vast majority of researchers may believe that this opportunity wouldn’t kill jobs and may even give the economy a boost by allowing more low-income workers to spend more on necessities. This controversial issue may be the only fire that will never die out in the United State’s economical history.

For example there is a big gap in the amount people get paid in the state in Nebraska, where the tipped wage is $2.13 and the general wage is $9.00 an hour. It is also unfair because in other states like Montana, Nevada and California have little to no gaps, this means that these states are being payed the same amount in tipped wage and general minimum wage.

Imagine being a single mother of three. Now let's say someone didn’t finish high school because they were pregnant with their first child. They are also paid at minimum wage, which is $7.25 an hour where they live. Would it be possible to live like that? 1.3 million people in the united states are paid at minimum wage. In some states the $7.25 an hour is lowered or there is none at all. Minimum wage should be raised, although some argue it shouldn’t because of consumer prices.

How does an employer decide how much to pay his employees? Logically, he 'd want to reduce overhead costs by paying them as little as possible. Minimum wage laws exist to protect workers from being exploited by wages too low to live on, as well as in an effort to reduce poverty in society and it 's far-reaching consequences. Many states have laws that raise the minimum wage at the same rate as inflation, but the federal government does not (Whitaker 634). The value of a new minimum wage begins to fall from the moment it is set. Because the costs of living are always rising, it is a hardship on those who must rely on wages which constantly degrade in value to meet these costs. The federal minimum wage, $7.25, has become too little for anyone to live on, especially without public assistance. The federal minimum wage has lagged further and further behind inflation over the last forty years (Covert). The minimum wage should be raised to a living wage for the entire country and set to index with inflation. As the cost of living increases, the wages paid to employees to cover that cost also needs to be regulated to increase in order to address income inequality and bureaucratic oversight; additionally, recent analysis shows that there would likely be modest benefits to the economy in the event of a modest federal minimum wage hike.

In announcing his wrongheaded proposal to increase the minimum wage to $9 an hour, President Obama spoke in lofty terms: “In the wealthiest nation on Earth,” he said in his State of the Union address last month, “no one who works full time should have to live in poverty.”

“The minimum wage is one of the most thoroughly researched issues in economics” (“The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage”). As this New York Times quote says, one of the largest issues in economics today would be the minimum wage. The government still has not come to a resolution for the issue because they are unsure of what the negative side effects of raising the minimum wage will do to the economy. The minimum wage needs to be raised because of reasons that would benefit the national economy and improve the standard of living. One of the reasons why it should be raised is that the minimum wage has not been increased since 2009 (Lu). Since the economy has grown greatly and further jobs have been made, shouldn’t the minimum wage grow too? Another reason why the minimum wage should be raised is that no one can live off of it at its current standard. The minimum wage is occasionally referred to as the “living wage” but as of this moment in time, people can’t live off of it. Many people live in poverty because they don’t have a high enough education which means they cannot acquire a job that pays better than minimum wage. Minimum wage should also be raised because it will

Numerous numbers of individuals and families will be relieved following a minimum wage increase. Around 25 million people will see the benefits firsthand (“Why Raise the Minimum Wage?”). Five million workers, after getting a raise, will no longer be in poverty, along with fourteen million working women, six million working mothers, and three million single working parents (“Why Raise Minimum Wage?”). With the well-deserved raise, all of these people can better support their family, pay off those growing bills, get food on the table, and worry less about the future. Looking at the numbers, it is evident that many people who have minimum wage jobs are living with tough situations at home whether that be poverty, living in a single income family, or both. As a result, many children are left with hungry bellies, not knowing when they will get their next hot meal because their hard working parents do not have enough capital to sustain the family. Not only will raising the minimum wage benefit millions of people that desperately need money, studies show that the effects would be evenly distributed among states still following the federal minimum wage. This is because the minimum wage sees no color and sees no gender. The federal minimum wage does not change depending on where you live; it doesn’t matter if you live in a red or blue state, or a rural area compared

Established by the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA), Federal minimum wage first went active October of 1938 starting at 25 cents an hour. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics the minimum wage was not consistent until the start of 1978 and has increased 22 times since then to keep up with the rise on the prices of goods and services. The stretched period of times that minimum wage increased as well as inflation, the purchasing power of the minimum wage has decreased significantly during the time. The minimum wage is not cataloged to price levels, it has just been adjusted here and there to keep up with its loss in its real value (purchasing power) due to inflation. Minimum wage adjustments occurred alternately, often

The federal minimum wage has been in effect since The Great Depression. Recently, it has become a hotly contested issue. Should it be raised or not? The issue is a complicated one because some believe that more harm will come than good and many believe this because majority of people are misinformed on the impact raising minimum wage can have on the American economy and families. According to Cato Institute’s article on Reasons Not to Raise the Minimum Wage, the important or more discussed problems that are argued by antagonist are job loss, higher prices for consumers, and the little effect on reducing poverty. Although these problems seem significant, protagonist will say the war against poverty and income

In “The minimum wage: To raise it or not to raise.” Mike Patton explains the negative effects of raising it. He addresses the various consequences this change would lead to the society in a long-term scenario. Even though protestors believe that the best choice they have to improve their economic situation is to get a higher wage, this action would lead not only to atrocious but perilous complications. It is undeniable that we are always seeking for an improvement in our economy but the issue of increasing the minimum wage cannot be discussed without considering the negative outcome of this tremendous change.