Similar to other debates, the argument for increased pay for first-responders is commonly challenged. For example, individuals claim that since it’s relatively facile to complete emergency medical technician (EMT) training that an increased salary is not a pressing issue. This is a valid argument because anyone who desires to become an EMT must be at least eighteen, as well as complete a course “with a textbook written at the fifth-grade level” (Why, 2017). Furthermore, since there is a surplus of individuals becoming first-responders, people assert that raising the pay would hurt the state governments. This is because states would then be spending much more on salaries for their copious government employees, rather than on other expenses.
Just as the economy travels through its cycles, from bear to bull and back again, so does the number of doctors in the country. In the 1960s, the government began an attempt to create more physicians using various methods. One such method was to reward medical schools for training a certain number of doctors (Bernstein 1013). This would give the medical schools an incentive to accept more students and to allow the students to fully graduate and go on to attend residency programs. Another such method was to give a monetary reward to residency programs for providing graduate medical education. This totaled approximately $7 billion, a sum large enough to “pay the tuition and living expenses of every medical student in the United States” with a large portion left over as well (Bernstein 1013). Because of these actions taken by the government, many more physicians were created, causing a physician surplus throughout the 1980s to the late 1990s, although this claim was based on ...
Sklar, H., Laryssa, M., & Wefald, S. (2001). Raise the floor: Wages and policies that work for all
The debate on the federal minimum wage is an ongoing issue. Both supporters and opponents to the minimum wage have valid arguments and multiple studies to defend their rationale. However, these studies and statistical reports may be concent...
According to Times Magazine, “Upmarket estate agents have been voted the most overpaid members of any profession, ahead of lawyers, celebrity chefs and football players.” (Coates), however many people believe that professional athletes have the most overpaid occupation. An average athlete’s salary ranges depending on the sport you participate in. In the NBA an athlete makes around five million dollars a year; yet in the MLB an average baseball player will make about three million dollars a year. A football player In the NFL averages two million dollars a year, and the NHL’s average salary is roughly $1.5 million dollars (Coates). Athletes are not the problem in today’s economy; the problem is currently America’s physicians. The focus should be put more specifically on physicians and not professional athletes because we need physicians to survive; while athletes are a source of entertainment. Although an athlete’s salary is surprising large, athletes willing do what they love because of their fan base and all of the people that support them throughout their career. Physicians lost the focus that was once on their patients, and are now concentrating more on how they can supplement their money, which is selfishly putting them above all people. Having a doctor who is unfocused is threatening to all patients, who may or may not know what it actually going in behind closed doors.
Minimum wage is a difficult number to decide on because it affects different income earning citizens in different ways. According to Principles of Microeconomics, by N. Gregory Mankiw, minimum wage is a law that establishes the lowest price for labor that and employer may pay (Mankiw 6-1b). Currently, the minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour. For many years politicians and citizens have argued on what should be the minimum wage that would benefit the economy and society in general. A minimum wage was first established in 1938 to increase the standard of living of lower class workers. To discuss what is better for the country and its citizens, people have to understand what is a minimum wage and what are its effects.
Washington has the nation’s highest minimum wage at $9.19 per hour. Seattle is set to raise the minimum wage even further, to $15 per hour. More than fifteen millions people work for a minimum wage, which lead to about fifteen thousand dollars a year. These workers would earn a lilt bit below the poverty line for a family of two (Blankinship). Seattle Mayor Ed Murray is pushing this effort since December of last year. Some council members, like Kshama Sawant of the Socialist Party, also support this measure. The federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 an hour, with President Obama’s plans to push it to $10.10 an hour (Weissman). Faster workers went on strike in many cities to demand better pay and right to unionize. $15 an hour is part of their demand when they protested in August of 2013 across fifty cities. In this current economy, people ages 25 to 54 are the largest group to hold fast food jobs. Since these jobs pay so little, these workers qualified and used $243 billion in public benefit per year (Covert). Although this is a popular policy, economists and journalists are conflicted in their analysis of the effect of increasing the minimum wage. Some economists found the minimum wage hikes lead to small j...
Fast-food workers have been protesting for a minimum wage of $15 dollars an hour and the freedom to unionize. The workers have organized numerous protests this year. During the protests they have walked out and chanted slogans regarding their pay. The main fast-food companies that are effected is McDonald's and Burger King. They both have stated that they will not press charges and indeed are allowing the workers to return. These workers that are participating in the strike doesn’t represent the majority of the fast-food employees. The people participating in the strike are not only youths but adults and elders as well. Due to the countries low employment rate many of these workers are supporting a family or other dependents. This is where most of the fast-food workers are getting their motivation to protest this industry. Unfortunately, many Americans are questioning the negative economic effects of their proposed wage and their lack of worthiness to receive that big of a pay raise. However, I believe that with some adjustment and research we can find a way to make everyone happy. My solution advises that we support Obama’s nine dollars an hour minimum wage proposal. It will give the fast-food workers financial support, release the burden of the taxpayer’s assistance, and keep inflation balanced.
People also think that the military should not get paid more because they want to “keep the same number and quality of people”, (Forsling, 2014).
Raising the pay for minimum wage workers will be the proper way to create effective results, yet there exists those who oppose an increase. Neal Asbury, an American entrepreneur, writes “Raising the Minimum Wage Brings Minimum Benefits” to express how a hike in wages will increase unemployment levels. The author introduces a survey done in 1992 regarding economists’ beliefs towards an increase in minimum wage, where 72 percent claim it would hurt unemployment levels (Asbury). According to this claim, more than half of economists argue that if a rise in minimum wage is to occur, unemployment will soar among the country. Businesses will be prone to lay off employees or hire fewer workers because of higher costs and will lead low-skilled workers to be jobless. An increase in pay will lea...
It is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens will be initially on their own and their actions can make a difference. Through training, citizens can manage utilities and put out small fires; treat the three killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock; provide basic medical aid; search for and rescue victims safely and organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective. Furthermore, CERTs are formed by members of a neighborhood or workplace who want to be better prepared for the hazards that threaten their communities. Initially, CERT programs were developed to assist communities in taking care of themselves in the aftermath of a major disaster when first responders are overwhelmed or unable to respond because of communication or transportation difficulties. As the CERT concept has taken hold across the country, however, they have become much more than originally envisioned. They have proven themselves to be an active and vital part of their communities' preparedness and response capability. For example, they have been used to: distribute and/or install smoke alarms and batteries to the elderly and disabled; assist with evacuations and traffic control; promote community awareness of potential hazards and preparedness measures; supplement staffing at special events, such as parades; and act as victims in training exercises. CERTs are an investment of local government's time and resources (CERT...,
If the government could provide more programs for individuals to go through to improve their skill sets to a more advanced level, these people would appeal more to the workforce. Although there are already programs to help these people acquire greater skills, there aren’t enough programs available for the number of people who could use the training. However, the already available programs have proven to be very successful. This could help Americans with the potential to overcome poverty, surpass the low wage jobs that they are currently
Now Mr. Roberto Hinojosa contends that professional athletes are overpaid. Citing U.S. Household Income stats for 2012 he explains that teachers,
Staff, NPR. "Raising Minimum Wage: A Help Or Harm?" NPR. NPR, 8 July 2012. Web. 20 May 2014.
Bustamante, J. (2013). $9 minimum wage sounds good but it would be bad public policy. Inside
In the year 2011a source was published by the Associated Press, one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, constructed a video that examined the effects a wage hike in San Francisco would have on all the parties directly involved. The video contains testaments from an employee, a business owner, and a public official all stating their opinion on San Francisco's wage hike to $10.24 an hour, which road on the coattails of Obama’s $15 minimum wage plan. The employee supported the hikes because the extra spending money and keep up with the high cost of living in the area. Any person would react in this manner if the knew they were receiving more money. The owner refutes the increase of the minimum wage due to the excess expenditures he will have to account for now. The politician stated how the increase had potential to spur economic growth in the city. The owner of the local business was the reaction that was of a great deal of importance. The owner was flustered by the hike and stated that it would be a huge financial burden on his business. He said that he would have to cut employees and their hours. This would result in employees not earning as much income as they expected and hindering the people that the bill aimed to help. Veterans of the fast food industry feel negatively about the hikes in concurrence. In a study by the Assistant Editor for Editorial Partnerships at Guardian US, evaluates the success of the $15 dollar minimum wage movement in the past few years and how they have achieved wage hikes in major cities. Like the video from AP the reactions vary dependent on the personnel and how the hikes will affect them in different ways but the managers feared the worst. In the Guardian article the owner of a startup pleaded, “ At this point, as a startup, it would put me out of business. It would also hurt my