Dear Opponent of Increased Minimum Wage

Contributor to Tharawat Magazine, Shereen El Agamy, wrote an article called “4 Reasons Why The U.S. Should Not Raise the Minimum Wage.” Agamy illustrates 4 examples as to why the minimum wage shouldn’t be increased and tells readers how increasing the federal wage would be devastating. Accompanying these reasons are very dramatic images; One of which shows burning money:

Why are Euros burning? Isn’t this about the U.S. federal wage?

I’m going to explain why these four reasons provided by Agamy are false and tell you how raising the minimum wage would actually benefit the American people. Here are the four reasons why Agamy thinks the US shouldn’t raise the federal minimum wage:

1.) Raising the minimum wage risks inflation and hurts the middle class.

According to Oren M. Levin-Waldmen, public policy and public administration professor at Metropolitan College of New York, raising the minimum wage would actually increase purchasing power for everyone involved, therefore helping the middle class. Levin-Waldmen’s research shows that in past years when the minimum wage increased, the median wage increased with it. The process of increases the wages at the bottom, travels upwards, like a “ripple effect,” benefiting those working for more than minimum wage.

 

2.) Raising the minimum wage hurts employment.

According to the United States Department of Labor  increasing the minimum wage has little or no negative effect on employment of workers. The Department of Labor argues that raising the minimum wage would result in low-wage workers would have additional money they could spend on different goods and services increasing demand and job growth.

3.) Raising the minimum wage is the wrong way to help low-income families.

The Economic Policy Institute says that 28% of minimum wage workers are parents. With more than 76 million children in the United States, more than 1/4 of these children’s parents would benefit from the increase in minimum wage. While this percentage varies from state by state, parents all over the country would benefit from the increase of wages. Such a wide variety of people would be affected by the increase that there would be widespread economic benefits.

4.) Raising the minimum wage doesn’t help the people you think it will.

This is one of my favorite arguments, because those who oppose minimum wage always say that the only people who would benefit from raising the minimum wage would be teenagers, flipping burger part time. This sentiment is completely  untrue.

As you can see in the graphic above, 80.5% of American minimum wage workers are over the age of 25. Raising the minimum wage doesn’t just help the teenagers working part time, it benefits every type of person.

 

 

Against Minimum Wage?

Should we give our citizens livable wages?

Seems like an easy answer…Yes…but why has it become one of the hottest topics of our time?

Today, the United States of America holds itself to be the land of opportunity. But, is this opportunity only for those with privilege and resources? How can a country so great still have such detrimental setbacks? Information from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services states, as of 2015 roughly 50 million Americans live in poverty. With a family of 3-4 people, their income does not meet the rough measure of 24,000 dollars a year. With that a study done by the University of California, Davis Center for Poverty Research has found that minimum wage employees earn about 15,000 dollars annually. This in no way can support a family. So why are so many people against the Rai$e It Movement?

Almost always the finger is pointed at the wrong groups of people. An article by Ira Stoll writes about why raising the minimum wage is a terrible idea. It reinstates that main things we always hear. You will always hear that its only college kids working minimum wage or those who are not independent. Or that it is illegal immigrants who will take all the jobs and they will get free money. Worst of all, an argument is that raising minimum wage is not a hand-up but rather a free handout to those who do not “earn success”or “earn their education.” Immediately people point to the wrong crowds. The majority who make up this need for a higher wage are working class adults. Information from the United States Department of Labor states, it is actually 89% of the minimum wage class that is 20 years or older. It is unfair to categorize these hard workers as anything less. Minimum wage has not grown with the economy. It has instead stagnated and we have faced the consequences. People will not lose their jobs and business owners will be able to afford the growth. Rai$e It.