Minimum Wage Argumentative Essay

Improved Essays
In the United States today we find ourselves amidst a very trying time. We experience a wide variety of dilemmas on a daily basis, as a community or as a country. One of the most prominent conflicts today is the debate over minimum wage. With every action comes reaction and with every debate comes two sides of an argument. As a kid I remember accepting my first job offer. I became a part of a baseball grounds crew, working for nothing more than minimum wage. Although I would have liked to have received more compensation for my work, there is an equal argument that, at sixteen, the work I provided was not worth the $7.25 wage I was receiving. Some people argue that the minimum wage in the country is not sufficient enough to support the high cost of living throughout the United States. In my opinion, if you are unable to afford for your lifestyle on the salary that you earn, then you must have too much. There are many sides to the minimum wage debate. Some say that raising the wage requirements will not only help those who work for minimum wage but also help the economy, business owners, and taxpayers. The other side of the argument is the fact that only about 3% of those employed over the age of twenty-five work for minimum wage or less. …show more content…
Many states believe that raising the wage requirements would help out the employees and the economy. This may be a true statement if all other variables were not in play. Yes, raising the minimum wage would give extra earning to low wage workers along with bridging the gap between the lower and upper class. But when one gap is closed, it is nearly certain that another will open. If employees are paid more it will require the business owner to begin looking for another way to find income. In a company, it is practically impossible to pay a higher wage to employees without raising the prices of the company’s goods or

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Baker 1 Chris Baker Debra McDowell English III 12 May 2016 Controversy of Minimum Wage “Most employees are paid more than the basic minimum wage. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2011 94.8 percent of employees who were paid by the hour were paid an hourly wage that was greater than the Federal minimum wage of $7.25” (“Digest 4”). The controversy of minimum wage is rising in the world and the people are arguing to raise it or keep it the same. Many people do not know the bad and good aspects of raising it.…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Raising the minimum wage to anything beyond the current $7.25 per hour could have devastating effects on the job market, if the decision is made carelessly. That’s why careful consideration is the key to any good decision. There are benefits, and there are disadvantages to a wage…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Minimum wage is a relatively new concept in the labour market. It was created with the idea that minimum wage will be a stepping stone into a better paying job in mind. As the years have gone by, minimum wage jobs have evolved from supporting teenagers and giving them the necessary experience in the work field to supporting families. It’s this change in dynamics that fuels the argument that minimum wage should increase to a living wage. What people fail to realize is that minimum wage exists for a reason and should it be increased; the positive impacts are outweighed by the negative impacts in the economy.…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dear Raja. The minimum wage must be raised because it get’s people out of poverty and the economy will boost because if they have more money there will be more purchasing power. Minimum wage gets people out of poverty. The congressional budget office estimated that raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25 would lift 900000 people out of poverty. This proves that they get people out of poverty because they will be able to live a normal life with enough money.…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Raising them won't do anything. most argue that raising them will help end poverty and that no working person should have to live in poverty. however, if raising the minimum wage was all it took to end poverty the government would have done so and there wouldn't be a social class referred to as poor people…

    • 261 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In 1938, the minimum wage was established as part of the fair Labor Standard Act. Over time, of infrequent and inadequate adjustment the minimum wage, no longer serves as an adequate wage floor. One of the most controversial issues in the U.S. is if minimum wage should be increased to $15 or not. People believe that if minimum wage was increased it would help out with day to day living.…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Raising Minimum Wage

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Recently, many people are calling for an over 100% increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour. There is a claim that it would be good for the economy in many ways. It is believed that raising the minimum wage would increase spending within the economy, which would enable businesses to grow and hire more workers, and the cycle goes on. The reality is that minimum wage jobs are designed for an unskilled high school student who is learning how to balance a job and other aspects of their life.…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Raise Minimum Wage

    • 212 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Minimum wage has been a big issue in this country for a long time. There are different reasons why minimum wage should be raised and why it shouldn't. “Fast food workers make less that $9 dollars on average” (Fast food workers). “Many states have raised minimum wage why can't we”(Fast food workers).Raising the minimum wage might even mean that we will have to increase our tax pay because the more money we make the more taxes we pay. Even though raising minimum wage is important because people can't live a full life off minimum wage we still don't need to raise it almost $3 maybe just $1.…

    • 212 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Everyone needs money to help them with their daily life activities like eating, shopping and even paying bills. For that, you will need a good paying job, right? CATO Institute, a public policy research organization, states “Some policymakers are proposing to raise the minimum wage, but that policy would be harmful. Research shows businesses would respond to the increased costs by reducing employment, particularly for low-skilled workers” (CATO). Basically saying this minimum wage will not help anyone, and it will do nothing but damage.…

    • 2332 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Raising Minimum Wage

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The minimum wage increase should be should really be thought before the government decides to raise it. Raising minimum wage will be an overall disaster for America. Raising minimum wage is the wrong idea for America because it will cause great distress for small businesses and will increase the amount of unemployed people, due to job loss. An increase in minimum wage will cause a lot of negative effects to small business.…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Minimum Wage Argument

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages

    There is a very large group of unskilled workers in the United States labor force today, and many of them do get paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. The condition of the lower class in the United States today is at a very low point due to the immense income inequality and unemployment rates. Not only are the economic conditions substandard, but also the lower class environment. Many of them are living in very bad conditions and are struggling to make ends meet. There has been a huge controversy about whether the minimum wage is a livable wage.…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Raising Minimum Wage

    • 244 Words
    • 1 Pages

    That's about 7,000,000 of Americans. "I thought in this country, the best social program was a job. Yet minimum wage jobs aren't paying enough to keep families out of poverty," Barbara Mikluski said. If the is increased so will the worker productivity. Raising the minimum wage would reduce employee turnover.…

    • 244 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The federal minimum wage was first introduced during the Great Depression by Franklin Roosevelt. Minimum wage started off at $0.25 an hour and has been increased several times to finally have reached an hourly salary of $7.50. Minimum wage has been increased 23 times because it has become clear that one cannot live and or raise a family from the hourly amount minimum wage offers. In the 2016 election raising minimum wage was one of the many questions that caused debates between people in America. After doing my research and hearing a great deal of debates, I have made my decision that minimum wage should not be increased during this time.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Increasing the minimum wage could cut back on taxpayers billions of dollars because low wage workers would be making an increase in salary and would not need assistance, therefore taxpayers dollars would not go towards their needs. Minimum wage is the lowest wage paid to a worker according to the law. Minimum wage in my opinion should be increased. As a matter of fact, a living wage should be put in place instead, because it is the minimum income…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    By increasing the wage for these minimum wage jobs employers are going to be looking for the best most reliable employees since they will be paying them increased wages. Teenagers and young adults may not be the most reliable employees and therefore they could go without jobs. Lastly, and the biggest problem with raising minimum wage is inflation. Inflation is defined on Dictionary.com as “a persistent, substantial rise in the general level of prices related to an increase in the volume of money and resulting in the loss of value of currency” (Dictionary.com). As mentioned above as…

    • 838 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics