Minimum Wage Should Be Raised

Improved Essays
Should Minimum Wage In The U.S Be Raised?

The question of whether or not minimum wage should be raised in the U.S has been an ongoing debate among the general population for a while, but especially in the recent years. The minimum wage federally in America right now is $7.25 and has been since 2009. Many people debate on very opposite ends of the spectrum, most people are either really set on raising the wage, or completely against it. With the worst recession in a generation still being felt across the nation, raising the minimum wage is an important strategy for doing both and should be part of an economic recovery agenda. There are many opinions on this subject, but with all things considered minimum wage should be raised. What is minimum wage? Minimum wage is the lowest wage legally permitted by law or by a special agreement. Around 47 million Americans live in poverty, and one of the main reasons is the decline in the minimum wage, the fact that it has stayed the same for so many years and not increased. The annual salary for a full time worker that makes minimum wage and works full time is around $15,080. With that being said, the average cost of just housing in
…show more content…
We have to remember that not everyone has the opportunity to get a higher paying job right away, and is forced to work at lower paying jobs even if it’s just for a period of time. These people tend to get more government assistance such as food stamps and Medicaid, which comes right out of taxpayers and corporations profits. Not saying minimum wage should go up to an aggressive $15 an hour like many states are arguing, but many people have recognized the consequences of letting the wage dwindle down. Twenty states across the U.S. have already raised their minimum wage higher than the $7.25 federal rate

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    The minimum wage in the US is well below that of other advanced countries. The economist estimates that the minimum wage should be about twelve dollars an hour in the US based on our GDP. A higher minimum wage not only increases worker’s income, which is sorely needed to high demand and get the economy going. “Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would create economic prosperity and put more money into the pockets of hard-working Americans” (“Reasons Raise minimum wage chart”). Raising the minimum wage to ten or more will help the workers to turn around and spend that money, which is a huge boost for the economy.…

    • 1438 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Minimum Wage Madness

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Minimum Wage Madness Raising the minimum wage sounds great to many citizens across the United States. More money is always better, but is raising the minimum wage really the best thing for America 's economy? Many questions are asked on how this will affect jobs and if it will help our economy grow.…

    • 1272 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    I am a person that feels like the minimum wage should be raised and that people should be getting paid more than they are getting paid right now. There are a few reasons why I feel this way and strongly believe that something should be done about the situation. People are doing to much work for what they are getting paid so it makes the people feel overworked. One of the reasons that I feel this way is because with what I am getting paid right now it is hard for me to pay my bills. $7.35 is not enough to live off of when you have a lot to pay for.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The federal minimum wage is the lowest amount of money a wage earner can earn. Each state has a minimum wage, too, but it can’t go below the federal limit. Some people disagree as to whether or not it’s enough to live on. I don’t think the federal minimum wage should be increased. There are several reasons that support my claim.…

    • 288 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Any time the cost of living goes up somewhere the minimum wage should also higher. It is already hard enough for people to survive so there is no need to make it nearly impossible to survive anywhere. There are more pros than cons when raising minimum wage to help accommodate higher living costs. You can’t expect people to be able to live and survive if cost is higher than pay. It is very important to even them out and actually make it survivable and also livable for people all around the world who are trying to making a…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Minimum wage is possibly the most controversial topic to date. Many are for the raise of it and many are for either keeping it where it’s at or even lowering it. With my recent studies I have come to the conclusion that America needs to increase its minimum wage. I know that we need to raise the current wage because many people even full time job workers are unable to even support themselves. Also raising it would decrease poverty rates indefinitely.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Not everyone in the US has millions of dollars in their bank accounts. There are countless numbers of reasons why people choose or have to work these low paying jobs. Again I am not sure what the wage should be raised to, but it does need to be raised. Only 29 of the 50 states raised their wages above the federal minimum wage. What about the other 26 states?…

    • 2332 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With the minimum wage set at $7.25, an individual working full-time 52 weeks per year does not make enough to support themselves or even a family of two. The amount they make is below the Federal Poverty Line for a family of two. The government should raise minimum wage because then low-income families will gain benefits, the government will save money in public assistant programs (Short, 2014), and people will be able to buy more products in turn giving money to the economy again. There are a few reasons why the government should raise the minimum wage. Firstly, the government should raise the minimum wage so low-income families are able to support themselves and their household.…

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    “Raising the minimum wage would not help . . . it would have the opposite effect because it would victimize the country’s lowest-skilled workers and make it more difficult for them to find employment” (Reisman, 2015). Raising the federal minimum wage will increase unemployment and at the same time increase the cost products and services. Per Thomas MaCurdy, professor of economics at Stanford University, “higher minimum wages help almost nobody; but raise prices for everyone” (MaCurdy, 2015). If the federal government desires to raise the standard of living in our country, “the best thing the [government] could do is to just get out of the way” (Epstein,…

    • 2029 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The minimum wage is a controversial political issue. Americans’ views on the minimum wage law vary widely; some citizens believe that it should be abolished entirely, others think that the minimum amount should be expanded to match the rate of inflation. Raising the minimum wage does not come without its issues. However adjusting the minimum wage to match inflation, the United States would see an increase in economic activity, a reduction in poverty, and a reduction in race and gender inequalities.…

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Should the minimum wage be raised to fifteen dollars an hour? There is a good amount of people that think that this is a good idea when it is actually a bad idea. First, the raise of the minimum wage to fifteen dollars would be a higher wage than some people make with an education. If minimum wage raises, then all wages would increase accordingly. Also, the price of merchandise would be raised on everything to make up for the raise in minimum wage.…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Along with people under 25 making up the majority of minimum wage workers, it is found that people who start at minimum wage will within the first year earn a higher wage (minimumwage.com). “Two- thirds of minimum wage employees earn a raise within their first year on the job, according to a study by economists at Miami and Florida State University” (Ortiz). These people would be making more than when they started their jobs, and may eventually be making $10 an hour. There would be no reason to raise the minimum wage, because they would eventually be making the amount that the government wants to raise it to. This way they can work up in their job and become more experienced before they are deserving to be payed more.…

    • 1469 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the Great Depression, in 1938, the federal minimum wage was passed by Congress. There were two goals in mind, the first was keeping workers out of poverty and the second was enhancing consumer spending to recover from financial losses. Today, Congress is debating on whether or not we should, once again, raise minimum wage (Lester). Raising minimum wage was useful and successful in more ways than one. First, the modern minimum wage has been unsuccessful keeping up with inflation.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays