“Merriam-Webster defines minimum wage as “a wage fixed by legal authority” or by contract the least that may be paid either to employed people generally or to a particular category of employed persons” (Richason IV 1).
Recently, President Barack Obama raised the minimum wage for all federal contractors to $10.10 per hour and called on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage for all employed people; advocates in states as diverse as Alaska, Idaho, Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Dakota have lobbied for an increase to state wage rates; and surrogates for fast-food and retail workers have staged strikes to demand as much as $15 per hour. These calls pose a serious threat to America’s small businesses and to the very individuals the minimum …show more content…
The increase is an issue that can be seen throughout multiple economic classes, demographics, and political parties. In general, hardly anyone believes that someone could resent any person for making a fair wage. The notion that one economic class, political party, or gender wants to keep down another is a weak and shallow argument and no one wants to see their neighbor(s) struggle. On the other hand, it would be un-American to take away the incentive out of separating themselves from others to earn a higher wage. ”In a free labor market, wage rates reflect the willingness of workers to work (supply) and the willingness of employers to hire them (demand)” (Henderson 1). Increasing the minimum tends to be the “go to” reaction from the state and federal politicians primarily from the Democratic Party once their followers start complaining about not being able to live or raise their family on a minimum wage job. “Higher minimum wages… are especially destructive for people with poor work skills and limited work experience. This is why young people and minorities tend to suffer most” (Gillikin 1). When protests are seen on the news, they almost always occur in the bigger cities. These protests that are aired on TV show a minority holding an infant complaining that they cannot raise their family with multiple kids on minimum wage. In all honesty, they have a valid point. Minimum wage jobs are service related jobs that consist of fast food (non-management) or retail attendants. Neither of the industries that were just mentioned is designed to enable anyone to raise a family. They are jobs that have basically no skills required except for possibly making change, which hardly anyone can do today, without a computer telling them how. They are industries where basic skills of heavy lifting and monotonous activities are required of the person performing the task required. These types
Recently, President Barack Obama raised the minimum wage for all federal contractors to $10.10 per hour and called on Congress to raise the federal minimum wage for all employed people; advocates in states as diverse as Alaska, Idaho, Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Dakota have lobbied for an increase to state wage rates; and surrogates for fast-food and retail workers have staged strikes to demand as much as $15 per hour. These calls pose a serious threat to America’s small businesses and to the very individuals the minimum …show more content…
The increase is an issue that can be seen throughout multiple economic classes, demographics, and political parties. In general, hardly anyone believes that someone could resent any person for making a fair wage. The notion that one economic class, political party, or gender wants to keep down another is a weak and shallow argument and no one wants to see their neighbor(s) struggle. On the other hand, it would be un-American to take away the incentive out of separating themselves from others to earn a higher wage. ”In a free labor market, wage rates reflect the willingness of workers to work (supply) and the willingness of employers to hire them (demand)” (Henderson 1). Increasing the minimum tends to be the “go to” reaction from the state and federal politicians primarily from the Democratic Party once their followers start complaining about not being able to live or raise their family on a minimum wage job. “Higher minimum wages… are especially destructive for people with poor work skills and limited work experience. This is why young people and minorities tend to suffer most” (Gillikin 1). When protests are seen on the news, they almost always occur in the bigger cities. These protests that are aired on TV show a minority holding an infant complaining that they cannot raise their family with multiple kids on minimum wage. In all honesty, they have a valid point. Minimum wage jobs are service related jobs that consist of fast food (non-management) or retail attendants. Neither of the industries that were just mentioned is designed to enable anyone to raise a family. They are jobs that have basically no skills required except for possibly making change, which hardly anyone can do today, without a computer telling them how. They are industries where basic skills of heavy lifting and monotonous activities are required of the person performing the task required. These types