Many voters supported Democratic efforts in Congress to raise the wage from $5.15/hour to $7.25/hour. This increase would bring up the take-home pay of Americans and with the assistance of food stamps and the EITC, full-time workers earning the minimum wage will be able to raise above the poverty level.
Supporters of the minimum wage increase are outraged that a full-time worker earning minimum wage would still live below the poverty line. They argue that raising the wage will help millions of American workers, including single mothers. Supporters say that more people with more money will boost our economy and counter negative effects of raising prices to cover increased wages. Some say that new tax cuts shouldn’t have been attached to the increase of the minimum wage. They argue that businesses already have received generous tax cuts. The supporters also fear that tax cuts will remove needed money for government funding.
Others think that the increase is counterproductive. Arguing that the minimum wage is a weak weapon for fighting poverty. They say this because it only affects a small percent of workers and almost half of workers who get paid minimum wage are teens. They think that the increase will hurt businesses and low-income workers because this will lead to higher prices and job cuts. People who oppose the increase in minimum wage insist that the market works best when laws of supply and demand determine the wage. They suggest that expanding the EITC would help better, rewarding work without interfering in the market.
I think that the minimum wage should be left along. Yes, it is sad that people are living below the poverty line, but when they say that raising the minimum wage would help millions of American workers, including single mothers, most single mothers are teenagers who still live with their parents. I agree that almost half of the workers who get paid minimum wage are teens, and if teens are the majority of the minimum wage workers then there is no need to raise the minimum wage. Also, when we raise the minimum wage, we will also have to raise the prices of food and businesses to make up for paying the workers more. The extra money that the workers make will just pay for the same needs that they would have paid for if the minimum wage had stayed the same.
In The New York Times article “Congress Passes Increase in the Minimum Wage,” Representative John A. Boehner criticized the wage provisions.Issue #1:
http://jumpingjoeblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/all-things-being-unequal.html
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