Bad Idea: Raising the Minimum Wage
For the past three decades minimum wage has been seen to rise several times. Only helping some but more than anything harming most. So who are the ones feeling the effects? Certainly not the wealthy, it never is them, mainly it would be the working poor, unskilled and teenagers. Raising minimum wage would cripple the public even more than what it would actually help.
However, there are those who see it completely the opposite way. Stating that by raising the minimum wage the economy would be better. More people would be able to support themselves; therefore lowering the percentage of poor people and raising the middle-class numbers. It is also argued that this change would not increase the number of unemployment, instead it could potentially raise employment by creating more jobs. Holly Sklar states in her research article, “Research by Fiscal Policy Institute and others showed that states that raised their minimum wages above the federal level experienced better employment and small business trends than states that did not.”
When it comes to the
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However if wages go up soon everything else will to clothing, food, gas, rent, etc. making it hard for some to adjust. According to Sherk, “In equilibrium the average fast-food restaurant would have to raise prices 38 percent.” This would be to compensate for the salaries paid to workers. David Cooper mentions in his article that “It would provide a modest stimulus to the entire economy, as increased wages would lead to increased consumer spending, which would contribute to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth and modest employment gains.” But why would people spend more if prices go up at the same time minimum wages increase. On the contrary it would be smart that people would want to save more
Most people do not dream of working the rest of their lives on minimum wage, but this is the harsh reality for many Americans. Minimum wage was set for workers, so they will not get under paid. Over the recent years, people are wanting to increase the minimum wage to put more money in their budget. That it will help bring people out of poverty and into a middle class citizen. Thus, this might be possible, but many say not without some serious consideration. There will be many consequences with increasing minimum wage. Although increasing minimum wage will give workers more money, minimum wage should not be increased because it will increase prices, cut jobs, and hurt national budget.
One way raising minimum wage will be beneficial is that it could lift many Americans out of poverty. Raising the minimum wage in Illinois, would help the families of more than 1.1 million workers who work to meet their children’s basic needs and “reduce the adverse effects of poverty on a child’s well-being” (Fiscal Policy Center). Studies have shown that raising the minimum wage would help 1 in 5 Illinois families who are in poverty. By raising the minimum wage in Illinois, it would help workers with families spend money on food, housing, gas, and other needs without going into poverty. Along with puling Americans out of poverty, raising the minimum wage could also stimulate economic growth. Raising the minimum wage, is stimulating economic growth by worsening the income inequality and substantially reducing the employee turnover for the business. Increasing a person’s income would raise their yearly earnings by $3,640 and “Improve the economic security and reduce the economies poverty rate” (Fiscal Policy Center). Low-wage workers spend most of what they earn on their basic needs, which is quickly spent and does not leave the worker with much money left to spend on other needs. This boost in the minimum wage will stimulate the economy and help create opportunities for more people, by hiring more workers to keep up with the
These are just a few of the many awful effects that raising the minimum wage brings. When workers hear a raise in the minimum wage, all they think about is a bigger paycheck and not what will happen to low-skilled workers, the cost of living, and the added stress to unemployment rates. New workers with less skills will have a harder time finding a job. The cost of living is going to hike due to inflation. Unemployment rates will rise due to added stress on businesses. An increase in the minimum wage is great news to a high schooler saving up to buy a new phone, but terrible news to someone trying to raise a family. If the minimum wage continues to increase, these problems will get worse instead of
There are indeed risks of raising the minimum wage, but the rewards outweigh those risks, so the minimum wage should be raised. Some people who are against this may say ...“But other economists say raising the minimum wage actually hurts the very people it's designed to help: One of the basic laws of economics is that if you raise the price of something, there will be less demand for it. In this case, if you raise the price of workers, the demand for workers will decline. That could mean companies cutting the hours of employees, laying them off, or hiring fewer workers in the future.”... Yes, it could hurt the people it is designed to help, but different states have done this and found the opposite to be true. With America’s still fragile economy we need a boost, a helping hand; And this could be it. So next time you go down to vote on a mayor or maybe even the next president, remember that raising the minimum wage is a good thing, and you should be supporting
One of the present and current implications of an increased minimum wage will be the workforce it attracts. Even with the increased minimum wage the job is still a minimum skill job, but with more applicants. Students out of high school unaware of the current workforce situation see a shining hourly wage and would rather start making money now than two to four years later. Economics Dr. John Perry explains the economic principle, Law of Demand in the realm of minimum wage, “The Law of Demand tells us that as the wage (price) of low-skilled/unskilled is artificially increased through legislation, the quantity demanded for those labor services by employers will fall,” and says this isn’t the main contributor to the jobless rate (Perry, aei.org). Dr. Perry goes into more depth about the economic principle, Law of Supply, which would primarily affect high school aged
There has been a lot of talk in the newspaper, political speeches, online and even on the news about how minimum wage should be higher. The minimum wage starts at $7.25-$9.15 depending on what state you live in. A lot of people can’t live on this type of salary and afford to feed their family. Society has felt the increase cost of living and a lot of middle class with no education have a lot of financial difficulties. States say how they are creating jobs, but nothing has been done for those that start out on minimum wage. Wendy Morrison who wrote “Raise the Wage” states that “The decline of Historical Consensus states that there was a substantial divide between public opinion and opinion with the economics profession on minimum wage.” She
...the future. Not only will raising the minimum wage provide more money but the workers can supply more food, be able to pay all of their bills and spend more if the wage was raised by at least five dollars. It could also benefit college students that are trying to find a way to pay for their education. Over 88 percent of workers who would benefit are at least 20 years old and in college (Cooper and Hall 2013). On the other hand, increasing the minimum wage can also cause higher rates of unemployment.
For many people in the United States, life is no more than a regular work cycle. Members of working class usually have a High School diploma and may work in a low skilled occupation or manual labor. Most of the enjoying age of this people is spent in working, as they don’t want their new once to have a life they struggling through. Therefore, this essay will argue that minimum wage should be increased federally to $15/hour by 2017. Firstly, if taxes touches the sky, why should the minimum wage be on the ground? Increasing minimum wages would also create new opportunities for education as the students wouldn’t have to work crazy hours. Likewise, many couples won’t have to work multiple jobs in order to manage the household. Lastly, it will lift
If the minimum wage increases, those people that are skilled and well trained with salaries over the minimum wage could feel the competition from those unskilled workers who will have a raise. These high skilled employees could demand a higher rate, making things even more difficult to a business owner. Therefore, an individual must build experience and knowledge through out the minimum wage; in addition, a well-experienced worker has higher possibilities to get into a better position with a higher income. In addition, education is a fundamental milestone in any individuals’ life in which holds the roots of success; a well-educated individual could have a broader window of success and a job that gives him or her a peaceful life. The economy of the US can be harmed if the minimum wage increases. In addition, restaurant chains’ owners could look into technology improvements to prevent the hike in the workers’ wage. As Lydia DePillis in her article on the Washington Post writes, “Many chains are already at work looking for ingenious ways to take humans out of the picture…” she argues that technology already has led thousands of workers from in many airports, grocery stores, tollbooths, gas stations, banks, and automotive factories jobless and similarly could occur if the minimum wages keeps growing. Some big-chain restaurants could
Raising minimum wage would benefit many people and would give them a higher standard of living. It is the american dream to start with little to nothing and work your way to the top. But some people are just not in the right place in life to become rich and successful. But no one can argue that if those people are making the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, their quality of life will sky rocket if they even just get a couple dollars more per hour. Rent would be paid on time , ability to buy more nourishing food than just mcdonalds and toys to make childrens childhoods more enjoyable. All these things can be accomplished with only a couple of dollars added to the federal minimum wage. For example australia has the highest minimum
The minimum wage being too low has been a public issue in America for generations. Basically, the debate includes two different opinions. Firstly, people who want to raise the minimum wage, and second, people who would rather is stay the same. The overwhelming majority of liberals are on the side that favors a raise. Additionally, a somewhat smaller proportion of conservatives favor the change as well, but for different reasons. The liberal opinion on raising the minimum wage is based on the idea that putting more money in the people’s pockets, will stimulate the economy, and decrease poverty. The problem that conservatives and liberals alike have with this, is that a few direct consequences are proven to apply when raising wages. Some proposed consequences include unemployment, inflation, and unfairness to higher educated people. Another main point is that raising the minimum wage is thought to helps small business by increasing worker satisfaction. This issue of minimum wage has become increasingly popular and important in current times, as president Obama has proposed the idea of raising the minimum wage of contract workers to 10.10$ per hour (about a 30% increase from the current 7.25$ per hour minimum wage). A large number of people consider this wage hike unnecessary due to the fact that today’s value of minimum is higher than it has ever been since the 80’s, and because the wage hike comes at too high of a cost. All things considered, the issue of raising minimum wage is not a battle of political parties and their agendas, its really a debate between everyone.
Since the cost of living has gone up drastically, raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do to boost the economy, lift workers morale and productivity, and improve the self sufficiency of potentially millions of American workers. Raising the minimum wage is a vital step in decreasing poverty and giving every family the opportunity to survive and succeed. Even businesses agree raising the minimum wage would give many customers more money to spend in turn increasing sales and higher profits for the companies. Therefore, raising the minimum wage would help and not hurt the economy and it would give many Americans a better livelihood and a more secured life. In today’s society it is very expensive to live in American and even getting by daily is difficult if you are living on minimum wage. Therefore, anyone who thinks the minimum wage should not be raised should try living in
“The minimum wage makes it illegal for workers to have a job paying less than the minimum wage, and it keeps employers from hiring anyone for less than the legal minimum wage even if people are willing to work for less. If the current minimum wage for low-skilled workers is $7.25 per hour, and Congress mandates a minimum wage of $9 per hour, workers who earn less than that will not remain employed or be hired. In the long run, as businesses switch to labor-saving methods of production, more low-skilled jobs will become useless. In anticipation of a $9-per-hour minimum wage, small businesses are already planning to switch to automated equipment, self-service and new software to save money because low skilled workers will have to be paid more. More jobs will be created for skilled workers but will destroy jobs for low-skilled workers. Politicians promise workers $9 per hour, but that promise can not be kept if employers fire or don’t hire workers who low skilled. Most importantly, if low skilled workers lose their jobs or can’t find jobs making minimum wage, their actual income will be zero.” (James A. Dorn). So if minimum wage is increased the job market could be destroyed for those in the lower class and for the unskilled workforce. “Evidence shows that when the minimum wage is increased there will be less jobs and a more unemployment especially in the long run. If a person ...
Americans are not wrong in thinking that increasing the minimum wage will increase low-wage working families’ incomes, and some of these families will rise above the national poverty threshold. While increasing the minimum wage might benefit some American families, it will hurt others. Increasing the minimum wage will eliminate many low wage jobs, which would then result in many people jobless and therefore, a substantial drop in those individuals’ household incomes (“The Effects of a Minimum-Wage Increase on Employment and Family Income”). . “Raising the country’s minimum wage could boost the incomes of millions of Americans, but it could also potentially cut total employment by hundreds of thousands of workers” (Kurtzleben). An increase in the minimum wage lowers employment, which makes it harder for these workers with minimal skills to find a job. Congress then explains that low income families will actually not bring in any benefits from an increase of the minimum wage (“Would an Increase in the Federal Minimum Wage Help or Hinder Small Business” 2-3). While increasing the minimum wage might raise the standards of living for some low wage workers and families, if the increase in minimum wage reduces employment rates, there is no certain answer on what
On the other side of the argument Americans believe that with the increase of minimum wages it would help Americans out a lot more. One possible way that the increase in minimum wage may help an individual out is in the article Minimum wage Pros and Cons, “The Economic Policy Institute stated that a minimum wage increase from the current rate of $7.25 an hour to $10.10 would inject $22.1 billion net into the economy and create about 85,000 new jobs over a three-year phase-in period. Though this may be true, one problem