The Pros And Cons Of Minimum Wage

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Minimum wage has been around since 1938 and every since then minimum has been steadily increasing. Minimum wage increase has came to a stop since 2009 to the present day 2018. We have been sitting at $7.25 for nearly 10 years. If we calculate our current minimum wage into the earnings in 1938 it would be around $.41 cents. This raises the problem and debate that will be discussed in my research below. Can anyone live a enjoyable life making $.41 cents a hour or $7.25 a hour? Can they support their family? Do they feel appreciated? There are plenty of concerns when it comes down to the fact of someone making a little over $7 an hour and only work approximately 7 hours.
An average person works at least 105,000 hours in their lifetime. If we …show more content…
A average family spends about $63,784 in one year for costs of everything needed for survival. This includes things like: housing, transportation, taxes, utilities and other household operational costs, food, healthcare, vices, and personal care. Not mentioned about things that is spent is entertain items which include things like: phones, televisions, gaming systems, and computers, which costs about $2,564. If someone is making $15,000 a year, it will take 3 and a half years for that person to live comfortably for one year. To put things in perspective or in a ratio, 7:2, for every 7 years that person is working $7.25 an hour or $15,000 a year, that person is living comfortably for 2 years. It is almost impossible to live a good or comfortable lifestyle making $15,000 a year. According to a 2013 poll by Oxfam America, 66% of US workers earning less than $10 an hour report that they just meet or don't even have enough to meet their basic living expenses, and 50% say that they are frequently worried about affording basic necessities such as food. A 2015 report by the Alliance for a Just Society, found that the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour represents less than half of a living wage for a single adult and a worker supporting only himself would have to work 93 hours a week at the federal minimum wage in order to make ends meet or skip necessities like meals or …show more content…
Everyone can not afford college. A public 4 year university costs about $23,890. For a person making $15,000 a year, this is impossible. They might be able to get student loans but they will ultimately have to pay it off. This causes the problem of debt and with the pay that person receives of $15,000 a year, either they will pay off the debt in a long amount of years and live in poverty or take the risk of not paying off the debt which can leave to jail time. If we increase the minimum wage of people’s pay then we will give them opportunities to go to college, make more money, get a career, and be a successful person overall. College isn’t free but it is helpful. To get to the point of going to college and being able to chase a certain career for people who has a family that is not that rich in income, minimum wage has to be raised. Everyone deserves a fair chance to get an enjoyable college career to better his/her self. To get away from minimum wage and get a college education minimum wage has to be raised. A 2014 study found that raising the minimum wage in California to $13 per hour would increase the incomes of 7.5 million families, which means that less people would be living in poverty. Teens who live in poverty are twice as likely to miss three or more days of school per month compared to those who do not; thus raising the minimum wage and lifting families out of
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