The Federal Minimum Wage Essay - 1035 Words

The selling point that has brought people to the United States for centuries is the American dream: Prosperity, Luxury, Opportunity, and so on. Unfortunately for many, this dream has been squandered by the receding economy of an indebted country. As inflation runs rampant, the value of the U.S. dollar decreases, lowering the value of household and business incomes. This economic recession has led many, especially those who only earn the minimum wage, to poverty. According to the United States Department of Labor, â€Å"The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour† (â€Å"Wage and Hour Division†). Some people believe that a solution to this problem is to raise the minimum wage; however, doing so would ultimately result in a negative effect on the†¦show more content†¦An increase in the minimum wage would push companies to take this route as it becomes more and more profitable to them. The end result of all of this would be a suddenly increased level of unemploymen t bound to become subsequent with an increase in government-funded welfare expenses, weakening the economy even more. And while these effects are more on the scale of large corporations, small businesses may yet also feel the effects of the minimum wage. With even fewer resources to rely on, a small business would have a harder time progressing and growing; a small business has only a small selection of workers who may be indispensable, so downsizing may be out of the picture, forcing them to cut back expenses, thus stunting their growth and leaving room for large corporations to take over the local industries. This, of course, presents another problem in today’s society concerning capitalism and a free market economy – when a small business grows weak financially; larger corporations have an opportunity to sweep in and seize hold of the local market for specific goods and services, drawing money out of that town and into the pockets of greedy companies. For example, a local burger joint or mom pop store could be crippled by a turn of the economy, causing them to raise prices and cut back on expenses. However, the local McDonalds or Walmart would only be affected by a relatively smaller margin, spearheading these corporations into theShow MoreRelatedRaising The Federal Minimum Wage889 Words   |  4 Pagesraising the federal minimum wage would positively effect the economy. In doing so, I will be discussing how an increase in the federal minimum wage would make a vast improvement on the way many low income families live, and also how raising the federal minimum wage would boost the economy as it desperately needs. In raising the federal minimum wage, one might argue that it would cause a spike in the unemployment rate. The reasoning is that it would force employers to balance the increase in wages thatRead MoreU.s. Federal Minimum Wage Essay951 Words   |  4 PagesCongress passed the federal minimum wage law in 1938 as part of their Fair Labor Standards Act. Federal minimum wages were intended to ensure fair wages were paid to an alarming amount of women and youths employed and paid substandard wages. This also seems to be the case today, where countless Americans who work full time, cannot make ends meet by making minimum wage. Evidence shows that raising the minimum wage would drive consumer spending, thus producing faster macroeconomic growth. Wage stagnation isRead MoreU.s. Federal Minimum Wage Essay1162 Words   |  5 PagesThe current U.S. Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25 per hour. In just two years from 2013, the demanded from advocates for raising minimum wage rose from $9 to $15. Howe ver, raising the minimum wage is more complex than simply raising the number of federal standard of pay for employees. Relative control groups and other market activities play a part in the outcome of the minimum wage. For example, one instance of market activity was observers said that raising the minimum wage did not hurt individuals;Read MoreThe Federal Minimum Wage Law962 Words   |  4 PagesThe federal minimum wage law was signed in 1938 by President Franklin Roosevelt in order to keep people out of poverty and increase consumer purchasing power. This has done the opposite by hurting businesses and reducing employment, while minimum wages go up, so will the costs of living. Most of the people working for minimum wage are 16 between 24 years old, 37% of workers are going to school working part time. Enrollment tuition has increased over the years, and raising the minimum wage couldRead MoreRaising The Federal Minimum Wage799 Words   |  4 Pages In the US, President Barack Obama urges Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25. Although some Republicans oppose to this action, overwhelming majority of Americans see that is a good idea (The Guardian, 2014). Regarding to the issue of minimum wage, there have been lots of debates for a long time. Some economists such as Milton Friedman deeply believe that minimum wage kills jobs, but some like Alan Krueger and David Card think, to some extend, it actually increasedRead MoreRaising The Federal Minimum Wage1277 Words   |  6 Pagesraising the federal minimum wage that has developed nation wide attention, including protesting and arguments, has caused many discussions on why it could potentially help the economy grow and how it could result in the crash of the economy. Many people feel like raising the federal minimum wage is a must, while others think it will destroy the economy. There are many benefits that come with raising the federal minimum wage, but those benefits al so come with many disadvantages. The first federal minimumRead MoreReducing The Federal Minimum Wage2047 Words   |  9 Pagesof increasing in the federal minimum wage has been hotly debated in Congress and between politicians and activists since the most recent increase to $7.25 in 2009. The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 proposed a $10.10 federal minimum wage increase but failed in Congress, while a more recent proposition, the 2016 Raise The Wage Act, hopes to put wages at $12 per hour by the year 2020 (14). Propositions like these seek to allow lower-income working families to earn a living wage but they have faced resistanceRead MoreThe Federal Minimum Wage Rate1774 Words   |  8 PagesConcerning the wage rate, the United States government has intervened to maintain a lower limit on the hourly wage rate of a worker’s labor by implementing a price floor known as the minimum wage rate. This legal floor on the market price of labor sets a minimum hourly pay rate for workers in the United States. Effectiv e July 24, 2009 the federal minimum wage rate is $7.25; in states that also have minimum wage laws the employee may be subject to both federal and state minimum wage laws, in whichRead MoreRaising The Federal Minimum Wage1225 Words   |  5 Pages Study shows that wage increases do lower poverty, by 2.4% if wage at $8.00, consistent with other studies. (Washington Post/ Arin Dube) 1. Raising the federal minimum wage doesn’t cause substantial unemployment as most economists agree, including over 600 economists who wrote a letter to Congress urging a wage increase, and the Economic Policy Institute. A. Identify shortcomings of the opposition (fallacies they make, or weaknesses in the evidence they use) 1. Arin Dube’s study would be great,Read MoreRaising The Federal Minimum Wage969 Words   |  4 Pages At the heart of this plan was the idea that wages must be set and fair. â€Å"No business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country.†(Roosevelt) This plan became the Fair Labor Standards Act, which set the Federal Minimum wage. Minimum wage has increased, slowly, over the years, but has not kept up with its intended purpose. Raising the federal minimum wage to a fair living wage level will improve the lives of the working poor