Minimum Wage Should Be Abolished
Minimum wage is the lowest amount of pay an employer, legally, may pay an employee per labored hours worked. The federal minimum wage is set at $7.25 hour currently. There are both positives and negatives to the minimum wage. Many debate the existence as to whether or not the minimum wage should be raised and whether or not it should be lowered. Supporters of the raise, such as President Barrack Obama, Bill O’ Reilly, Rick Santorum and Phyllis Schafley, take into consideration the immediate payout of higher income, and identify this as the appropriate elucidation (Harding; Ivatury). The National Retail Federation, The Cato Institute, and Mark Wilson all publicly oppose the notion of boosting the minimum wage …show more content…
It’s original intent, in the United States, was to eliminate the unfair laboring in sweatshops and to ensure that the people, mainly women, were paid adequate wages for the work they were completing. The primary reasoning for the law was in light of the results that women were not considered to be an equal with man, therefore, they received little to no pay and were forced to work substantial amounts of hours. Today, as a result of many women’s rights activists and current laws now in place, women are not forced to suffer from the same types of unfair treatment. Therefore, the laws that were put in effect to protect this, are now irrelevant to the issues. Supporters who argue to raise the minimum wage state that because the pay goes up, the poverty will decrease. Rarely do they consider inflation when attempting to prove this point. They tend to believe that because the pay check amount is higher, than poverty amounts will decline. However, research shows the raising the minimum wage would in turn “result in the loss of nearly [$]500,000 by late 2016” (Shaw). If wages are to increase, then fewer employers are going to be inclined to hire younger employees, resulting in younger individuals having no experience and creating a long term effect of high poverty levels, as the vicious cycle continues. By eliminating the minimum wage, employers could offer a lower pay for …show more content…
According to United States Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, “[Congress] should find ways to get people off welfare and into the workplace”. He believes that once workers start out in a low paying job and as they increase their skills set, and “begin their climb up the ladder on a lower run” that they would “realize their value and worth” (Brooke, Yaron, and Don Watkins). Many people on welfare feel hopeless, and as if there are no other options. Some who try and enter the workplace are forced to be paid lower wages, even when the excel. Demolishing the minimum wage would increase their chances of success and provide a better incentive to get out and into the workplace. Nelson Mandela stated that “Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings”. The economy is drowning and one of the best things that can be done is eliminating the minimum wage. To keep the minimum wage laws intact and in effect, as they currently stand, can only cause more harm to our economy. The benefits of creating more employment opportunities, improvements for business and workers, reduction in poverty, and increases in self-worth, present this as seemingly obvious as the steps that need
Minimum wage is the lowest amount of pay an employer, legally, may pay an employee per labored hours worked. The federal minimum wage is set at $7.25 hour currently. There are both positives and negatives to the minimum wage. Many debate the existence as to whether or not the minimum wage should be raised and whether or not it should be lowered. Supporters of the raise, such as President Barrack Obama, Bill O’ Reilly, Rick Santorum and Phyllis Schafley, take into consideration the immediate payout of higher income, and identify this as the appropriate elucidation (Harding; Ivatury). The National Retail Federation, The Cato Institute, and Mark Wilson all publicly oppose the notion of boosting the minimum wage …show more content…
It’s original intent, in the United States, was to eliminate the unfair laboring in sweatshops and to ensure that the people, mainly women, were paid adequate wages for the work they were completing. The primary reasoning for the law was in light of the results that women were not considered to be an equal with man, therefore, they received little to no pay and were forced to work substantial amounts of hours. Today, as a result of many women’s rights activists and current laws now in place, women are not forced to suffer from the same types of unfair treatment. Therefore, the laws that were put in effect to protect this, are now irrelevant to the issues. Supporters who argue to raise the minimum wage state that because the pay goes up, the poverty will decrease. Rarely do they consider inflation when attempting to prove this point. They tend to believe that because the pay check amount is higher, than poverty amounts will decline. However, research shows the raising the minimum wage would in turn “result in the loss of nearly [$]500,000 by late 2016” (Shaw). If wages are to increase, then fewer employers are going to be inclined to hire younger employees, resulting in younger individuals having no experience and creating a long term effect of high poverty levels, as the vicious cycle continues. By eliminating the minimum wage, employers could offer a lower pay for …show more content…
According to United States Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, “[Congress] should find ways to get people off welfare and into the workplace”. He believes that once workers start out in a low paying job and as they increase their skills set, and “begin their climb up the ladder on a lower run” that they would “realize their value and worth” (Brooke, Yaron, and Don Watkins). Many people on welfare feel hopeless, and as if there are no other options. Some who try and enter the workplace are forced to be paid lower wages, even when the excel. Demolishing the minimum wage would increase their chances of success and provide a better incentive to get out and into the workplace. Nelson Mandela stated that “Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings”. The economy is drowning and one of the best things that can be done is eliminating the minimum wage. To keep the minimum wage laws intact and in effect, as they currently stand, can only cause more harm to our economy. The benefits of creating more employment opportunities, improvements for business and workers, reduction in poverty, and increases in self-worth, present this as seemingly obvious as the steps that need