America Must Increase the Minimum Wage Essay - 2566 Words

No family gets rich from earning the minimum wage. In fact, the current minimum wage does not even lift a family out of poverty. -- Jon Corzine It is not shocking to hear that tens of millions of Americans are living in poverty. Startling statistics about the poor are constantly being tossed around on television with images of run-down neighborhoods and malnourished children. The real surprise, however, is that millions of those in poverty are full-time, minimum wage earning workers. Many say one should feel morally obligated to help these people. President Barack Obama said it best in his February 2013 State of the Union address, â€Å"Let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one who works full time should have to live†¦show more content†¦FLSA was received well by workers but opposed heavily by business owners, who argued that a required pay rate would hurt the economy and smaller companies. These are the main arguments still heard today. The continuing minimum wage debate in the United States argues if the current hourly rate of $7.25 is a livable wage in today’s dollars. Simple ari thmetic shows that the answer to that question is no. A full time employee, working forty hours a week and fifty weeks a year, will earn $14,500 per year. For a family of four, the poverty line is set at $23,550 for the year of 2013 (Sebelius n.p.). This means that a full-time worker (and the worker’s family) is earning $9,050 below the poverty line. Clearly, the current federal minimum wage is not sufficient and must be increased to provide workers with the funds necessary to support themselves and their families. As a college student, I have worked several minimum wage jobs, and I currently have two part-time jobs. In high school, I held multiple minimum wage positions. Young workers, like myself, contribute to a big misconception that all minimum wage workers are high school students, and this is not true. Many argue that a minimum wage increase will not be beneficial because the majority of minimum wage workers are not full-time or working to make a living. The reality, in fact, is thatShow MoreRelatedThe Minimum Wage Should Not Reduce Poverty1214 Words   |  5 Pagesbelief persists that paying a higher minimum wage would aid in lifting people out of poverty by giving those with low paying jobs a higher income, however the evidence suggests otherwise. As the 2016 race for the White House heats up, the minimum wage battle stands at the forefront of every economic discussion. The rhetoric between candidates within and across party lines intensifies by the day. While the debate over whether or not to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25/hour to $15/hour ragesRead MoreMinimum Wage And The Wage1269 Words   |  6 PagesMinimum Wage There are a lot of people around the world who struggle with money and a satisfactory way of life. 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