Persuasive Essay On Minimum Wage

The federal minimum wage in the United States is currently $7.25 an hour. Increasing the minimum wage would lift approximately 900,000 people out of poverty. Forty-three million Americans are living in poverty due to low income, health care costs, childcare costs, college costs, and housing costs. The federal minimum wage should be raised because it keeps up with inflation and would scale down poverty levels.

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

This is turn causes unemployment for the very jobs the new minimum wage was created for. The federal minimum wage is set at $7.25 an hour (Calvert, Scott, and Morath). Unfortunately, there are states that have decided to raise the minimum wage. The state with the highest minimum wage at $11.00 and hour is Massachusetts (Wuttke). All states should be required to revert back to the federal minimum wage and not have the ability to raise it whatsoever. Doing this would ensure that inflation would not rise because of anything minimum wage related, lower unemployment, guarantee safety of the middle class, and create a fair and level playing field among workers across America. But, reverting the minimum wage in places where it is higher will not necessarily be an easy task. There are many advocates for it, and most of them being minimum wage workers themselves. To act upon this problem a bill would have to be placed forward into Congress. In order for the bill to be passed it has to receive a majority vote, and this could be difficult because many Democrats support a higher minimum wage. However, if they took the time to look at the opposing view and realize the negative effects it causes, their minds will change.

Humanity reaches unbelievable heights, discovers old civilizations, creates supersonic aircraft, launches every day new high tech gadgets, but fails to resist the challenge of the 21st century- the poverty. The U.S.A. has experienced crisis and prolonged period of economic instability which threatened first of all the economic security of individuals, families and whole communities. The minimum wage becomes a wealth inequality and economic segregation that endangers the ability to eat and remain healthy, have access to education and new opportunities. In these circumstances, replacing the minimum wage with a living wage will serve as a relief for the poor and will bring benefits to the local businesses and the economy as well.

One of the most acrimoniously debated problems in American society today is the debate over the minimum wage. The minimum wage, established in 1938 by President Roosevelt, was made to be a safety net for people who provided unskilled labor, but also needed to provide for themselves. Up until that point, people had no guarantee that they would be paid. The minimum wage was quite literally one of the only lines of defense unskilled workers had in harsh times, such as near the end of the Great Depression. In today’s society, the minimum wage is still a means by which unskilled workers can provide for themselves, but many people have lost track of what it originally meant. The minimum wage is no longer specifically meant for people in dire need, having to take the first job they find. People now perceive it to be something into which they can settle, even in today’s society, where opportunities for hard workers to be promoted are frequent and encouraged. Despite the chances people have to seek out promotions, most $15 minimum wage proponents believe that they are entitled to having the minimum wage increased because they believe it would put them at a “livable wage” and that businesses owe them higher pay because of the cash flows they generate. As a federally mandated expense to businesses, it is critical for people to consider the possible negative outcomes of trying to forcibly make businesses, whether large or small, pay an increased minimum wage as drastic as $15. Not only will it negatively affect the U.S. economy, but it will also put minimum wage workers at the same level of disadvantage, if not more.

It is truly a saddening sight to see men on the street in this day and age in cities everywhere both big and small begging for spare change with a cup and sign saying "Unemployed will work for food," and it is even sadder when the person is a woman with her children by her side. As of now, there are approximately 325 million people in America and of them, 1.7 million live off of minimum wage. 4.9% of those people are unemployed and .5% of them homeless. The number of jobs available are constantly shrinking, faster and faster and minimum wage is being less and less effective as a means for survival. To answer this problem, I propose a modest and efficient proposition. My proposition would be to abolish the minimum wage and reallocating pay elsewhere, or in simple terms remove minimum wage. There are many reasons to do so but the main reasons to remove the minimum wage are that it slows job growth and opportunities for jobs, it is not helping to curb poverty but worsen it, and it is hurting low-wage workers.

Did you know that the Federal minimum wage for employees has been $7.25 since June of 2009? In modern society, poverty and inflation are common substantial problems. Many people think increasing the minimum wage will corrupt businesses and employers by forcing them to make cost cuts and increasing inflation, while others think it will reduce poverty and inflation by increasing individuals income. For instance, according to the Los Angeles Times, Lissette Rowe, a 30 year old psychology student from Georgia, earns $7.25 an hour, making subs for a sandwich chain, but she still relies on her family to help pay her bills, provide food stamps, and money for her basic housing needs. By increasing the federal minimum wage it can help Americans afford basic needs without having to struggle through life.

Imagine spending your day with lights, sirens, blood, and death. Imagine having someone’s life in your hands every time you go to work. Then imagine working 24 hour shifts only to return home and sleep for a few hours before returning to your second job and doing it all over again just so you can provide for your family. This is the life of emergency medical technicians across the country and many others like them. Now imagine that the teenager next door that work at the local fast food chain makes the same amount of money as you do. Due to the current minimum wage increases being seen across the country, this is being becoming the reality in this country. The increase of the current minimum wage is targeted to help individuals in low paying

Living on minimum wage with companies that pay with the bare minimum has never been a walk in the park for anyone. Whether you are an individual that lives by yourself or a parent that has children to take care of, minimum wage doesn’t provide enough to live a comfortable life. Many people say that if the minimum wage is raised, there will be negative repercussions. However, there is evidence that shows the complete opposite. This evidence would include how living conditions would improve, happier employees result in better work output, and there would be an increase in sales due to people being able to afford more. Raising the minimum wage to match rates of inflation would benefit and improve lives.

Minimum wage is a problem, but most don’t want to raise it. Raising minimum wage will be a big problem now and including the future. Raising minimum wage is a problem depending on a social hierarchy. For many years the U.S had had many protesters and this is a problem according to state officials. Family's around the world are surviving on as little as 4.25 an hour in this case people have to survive off of food stamps and family members. Job owners can choose to higher the pay due to a raise in the company or a downgrade will determine whether they will make below minimum wage. Minimum wage should be increased from 7.25 to 9.00 an hour because of the over qualified, educated, and experienced Americans who are now relying on minimum wage jobs as a result of the struggling economy. Also, increasing minimum wage could help stimulate the economy. But, in order to get the economy back on track the spending power must be in the hands of the Americans who in fact, spend. With today's tough job market most job seekers are willing to acquire positions they are considered over qualified for, even if it means taking a pay cut. Therefore, an increase in minimum wage will ensure that low wage over qualified workers have the means for vital necessities like housing, food, transportation and health care. Last year, more 200,000 Americans with college degrees were working minimum wage jobs due to our struggling economy. Furthermore, an increase in minimum wage would help stimulate the economy by multiplying consumer spending without expanding the state

“Most poor people earn more than minimum wage when they are working; their problem is not low wages. The problem comes when they are not working” (S. Joseph). Today’s level of pay for the minimum wage is not the problem, and raising it is not the solution. Furthermore, the only thing raising the minimum wage would do is to increase inflation. Inflation will raise all of the prices around us. Prices of gas, milk, and other necessities will increase to a level of which the minimum wage cannot withstand; again, we will be forced to raise it. With that being said, the only two probable solutions are to raise the work hours of the employees, or lower the cost of living; however, this will only be a temporary solution, workers must strive for

Minimum wage is different across the United States and varies depending on the cost of living for that particular state. There are currently 5 southern states who have not adopted a state minimum wage. Those states are: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. Presently, there are 29 states have minimum wage rates above the federal minimum wage. I currently live in Germany but my home of record is Arizona. The minimum wage in Arizona is $8.05. Arizona is one of America’s fastest growing states. With a booming economy and a diverse population, Arizona’s cost of living is somewhat low compared to the rest of the United States.

The American society has made huge developments since the Civil War era. Advances in technology, transportation, and home quality have had a wonderful effect on the economy, but at a hefty price. While the standards of living have rose dramatically, it has become harder to produce enough income to acquire them. In the 1930s, a minimum wage act was established to help the victims of the Great Depression out of poverty which is still running today, but now it is hard to live of minimum wage while trying to support a good health or a family. There has been a high demand for the increase of minimum wage, but politicians fear the effects of this drastic change. Writer Rex Huppke and “The Economists” have wrote detailed articles concerning politicians’ ideas on minimum wage and how they plan to address this issue. The narrators address these controversy in their articles, but their writing is varied on the facts, opinions, and main idea of increasing minimum wage.

With the U.S. Minimum wage of $7.25 per hour most U.S. citizens that make the minimum wage are living paycheck-to-paycheck and living off of food stamps and Medicaid. The minimum wage does not provide a living wage for most Americans. For example, an analysis of the living ,,compiling geographically specific expenditure data for food, childcare, healthcare, housing, transportation, and other basic necessities shows that, " the minimum wage does not provide a living wage for most American families. A typical family of four (2 working adults, 2 children) needs to work nearly two full-time jobs each (77-hours a week) to earn a living wage. A single parent with two children needs to work the equivalent of three and one-half full time jobs (139 hours a week),more than there are hours in five days, to earn the living wage on a minimum wage income" (Nadeau 1). It is impossible for single parents to make a living wage. The minimum wage for one person per year is sufficiently lower than the federal poverty level. For example, according to Sally Richard, the author of the book Raising the Minimum Wage Increase, "based on a year of fifty-two-weeks [the yearly salary for minimum wage earners] was $13,624, compared to the poverty level set for family of three $17,600" (Richard 2). The minimum wage should be raised because on average it only covers about half of the family's living wage! Many Americans are living in poverty because of this. Many people say minimum wage earners can "get by" with their salary if they didn't buy extra entertainment but they just can't pay for everything required for a family such as rent, water, food, electric, and other everyday expenses. For example, according to Carey Nadeau, author of " Minimum Wage: Can an Individual or a Family Live on It?", "For

In the richest country in the world, there are 78% of American workers living paycheck to paycheck,[1] according to a survey published by NBC on Nov 2, 2017. This is not what most Americans want. They want a paycheck capable of providing a lot of utility for them and their families. And with 78% of Americans saying this is not the case, a lot of debate has taken place over raising the minimum wage, potentially to $15 an hour. Since the minimum wage is a major political topic, Democrats and Republicans constantly argue the positives and negatives of a hypothetical increase of the federal minimum wage. Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont is very well-known for his push to instate a $15 federal minimum wage, and discussed the topic a lot during his 2016 presidential campaign. Some economists say that a huge increase like this would be catastrophic to the American economy and labor force, as James Sherk said in one of his reports published in 2016, “Businesses would respond to these higher labor costs by reducing employment of affected workers by over one-sixth, thus eliminating approximately seven million full-time-equivalent (FTE) jobs by 2021. Forcing employers to pay starting wages of $15 an hour would make many less skilled workers unemployable”. [2] Despite many politicians pushing for a minimum wage increase, economists widely agree that the $15 federal minimum wage proposal would cause a loss of low-paying jobs, massive unemployment, and cause the cost of the increase to