Aarin Foster Research Paper

Aarin Foster is a single dad of two. Like many single parents, he struggles to make ends meet. Although he is working full-time and making minimum wage, he is still living below the federal poverty line. He often works overtime on his days off, just so he can earn a little bit of extra money (Jenkins). Due to the number of hours he works and his hectic schedule, he is away from his family more than he would like to be. Foster says, “I think I get to see my daughters for about 4 or 5 minutes a day. That’s it” (qtd. in Jenkins). There are too many families in the United States who are living in poverty, even when working full-time jobs. If the government raised the minimum wage to at least $9.00, it would become a living wage that would positively …show more content…
It is estimated that a quarter of all children in the United States have a parent who would be affected by a minimum wage increase (Hall). Today, single parents like Aarin Foster have a difficult time living off of the minimum wage. “A single parent who works full-time at minimum wage earns just $14,500. If she has two children, this income is more than $4,000 below the poverty line” (Daniel). Creating a living wage would be important for families. Because the cost of living varies by state, the number of families who would be affected by a wage increase also varies by state. There would be more families impacted in Mississippi than in New Hampshire. The impact of a wage increase would be widespread, and all states would see improvement in their poverty rates (Hall and Cooper). The Congressional Budget Office estimated that more than 900,000 people would be brought above the poverty line. Those who are barely over the poverty line would also be positively affected. Less money would need to be spent on government assistance programs when families are more self-sufficient (Huppke). Even though there are so many advantages to an increased minimum wage, there are still people who are not supportive for a few