America Must Increase the Minimum Wage

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"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, “Let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one who works full time should have to live in poverty” (Lowrey n.p.). When minimum wage was created, President Roosevelt declared its purpose was to “maintain a minimum standard of living necessary for health, efficiency, and general well-being, without substantially curtailing employment” (Raising the Minimum Wage 1). Considering the poverty rate and poor living conditions present today, this vision is no longer being fulfilled. In order to create a nation with acceptable living conditions, lowered poverty rates and income inequality, and a stable economy, the minimum wage must be raised to a livable rate. Opponents of an increase argue that the economy would suffer, but the reality is quite the opposite. Economic conditions could be greatly improved with a rise in minimum wage, and that is exactly why this is an issue much larger than just the working class. Minimum wage affects all classes and has a large effect on the state of the economy. For these reasons, I propose that minimum wage should be increased to a rate that will adequately provide working families with the funds necessary to survive.

Minimum wage was first enacted in 1938 to ensure that workers were maintaining a

livable wage. This was mandated under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938, which

also made sure that workers were free from exploitation and unsatisfactory workplace

conditions. At the time of this legislation, minimum wage was set at $0.25 per hour; this equates

to approximately $4 in 2013. Congress monitored the economy and, through the 60s and 70s,

made increases to keep minimum wage at an appropriate level. Minimum wage reached its

highest value in 1968 when it w...

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...nequality Problem.” New Republic 244.17 (2013): 12-14. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2014.

Lowrey, Annie. “Raising Minimum Wage Would Ease Income Gap but Carries Political Risks.” The New York Times. 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.

“Minimum Wage Workers: Characteristics of Those Employed at or Below the Minimum Wage.” Congressional Digest 92.5 (2013): 11-32. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2014.

Plumer, Brad. “Here’s why 10.4 million American workers are still in poverty.” The Washington Post.12 April. 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2014.

Prince, Lew. “Should Congress Increase the Federal Minimum Wage and Index It To Inflation?” Congressional Digest 92.5 (2013): 22-26. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.

Sebelius, Kathleen. “Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines.” Federal Register. 14 Jan. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.

Sullivan, Sean. “White House official: Obama supports Harkin/Miller bid to increase minimum wage.” The Washington Post.7 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.

Warren, John Robert, and Caitlin Hamrock. "The Effect of Minimum Wage Rates on High School Completion." Social Forces 88.3 (2010): 1379-1392. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.

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