The incongruencies in the minimum wages of regions in the United States, especially the East, plague individuals and society as a whole by forcing minimum wage workers into poverty. The current federal minimum wage only extends to $7.25 per hour. This incredibly low hourly rate coincides in no way to the average cost of living in the United States. In other words, minimum wage workers residing in the United States do not earn nearly enough to financially support themselves without government assistance. In the east state, the minimum wages of states vary anywhere from $5.15 per hour in Georgia to $10.00 per hour in Massachusetts. Some states like Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina refuse to even set a state minimum wage; therefore,
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With the current minimum wages in any state, no minimum wage workers possess the capability to modestly live off their incomes alone. With that being said, an earner of federal minimum wage, working a full, forty hour week, only acquires $15,080 in any given year under the assumption that said worker utilizes no “off days” during any week of the year. To place this number in the context of everyday life, the city of St. Louis, Missouri, a modest city in terms of living costs, requires a minimum of earning $46,500 a year for an inhabitant to live without government assistance with one child. Clearly a vast incongruence exists between these two numbers considering the fact that the average cost of living extends to almost three times the amount of what a minimum wage worker makes. Another study conducted in 2014 in September stated that the average household income to support one adult living in New Jersey is $27,552. To obtain this income, the minimum wage needs to increase to at least $14.00 per hour. (New Jersey …show more content…
Since his first day as pope, he has stressed the importance of the common good, the “good” that is “common” for all individuals. Pope Francis humbly promotes economic justice and strongly believes in raising the minimum wage. He even claims, “It is therefore necessary to remove centrality from the law of profit and gain, and to put the person and the common good back at the centre. One very important factor for the dignity of the person is, precisely, work; work must be guaranteed if there is to be an authentic promotion of the person.” In this quote, Pope Francis reiterates the importance of the common good while condemning profit alone. He also highlights the necessity of the dignity of all individuals in their work despite the job in which they labor. If Pope Francis, arguably the holiest man on earth, possess such a strong viewpoint on an apparent injustice, society should attempt to emulate his philosophy and furtherly establish economic justice among all
With the current minimum wages in any state, no minimum wage workers possess the capability to modestly live off their incomes alone. With that being said, an earner of federal minimum wage, working a full, forty hour week, only acquires $15,080 in any given year under the assumption that said worker utilizes no “off days” during any week of the year. To place this number in the context of everyday life, the city of St. Louis, Missouri, a modest city in terms of living costs, requires a minimum of earning $46,500 a year for an inhabitant to live without government assistance with one child. Clearly a vast incongruence exists between these two numbers considering the fact that the average cost of living extends to almost three times the amount of what a minimum wage worker makes. Another study conducted in 2014 in September stated that the average household income to support one adult living in New Jersey is $27,552. To obtain this income, the minimum wage needs to increase to at least $14.00 per hour. (New Jersey …show more content…
Since his first day as pope, he has stressed the importance of the common good, the “good” that is “common” for all individuals. Pope Francis humbly promotes economic justice and strongly believes in raising the minimum wage. He even claims, “It is therefore necessary to remove centrality from the law of profit and gain, and to put the person and the common good back at the centre. One very important factor for the dignity of the person is, precisely, work; work must be guaranteed if there is to be an authentic promotion of the person.” In this quote, Pope Francis reiterates the importance of the common good while condemning profit alone. He also highlights the necessity of the dignity of all individuals in their work despite the job in which they labor. If Pope Francis, arguably the holiest man on earth, possess such a strong viewpoint on an apparent injustice, society should attempt to emulate his philosophy and furtherly establish economic justice among all