Monday, October 06, 2014

Should we raise minimum wage? All classes post here---due Friday

Choose two of the articles below to read and determine your opinion on the topic: SHOULD WE RAISE MINIMUM WAGE?  Write a 5-7 sentences post where you state your point of view and incorporate TWO QUOTES from the articles you read.  TYPE IN GOOGLE DOCS OR MS WORD and then copy and paste the "COMMENT."


Copy and paste article title into Google to read the entire article:
http://online.wsj.com/articles/andy-puzder-minimum-wage-maximum-politics-1412543682

Lengthy, but you can scan:
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/12/should-we-raise-the-minimum-wage-11-questions-and-answers/282326/

The top article is at a higher reading level.  These two articles are the same:
https://newsela.com/articles/politics-minimumwage/id/5384/

https://newsela.com/articles/politics-minimumwage/id/5386/

80 comments:

  1. Raising minimum wage has sparked a lot of conversation in the United States this past year, and people have very strong opinions on it. Many believe that raising the minimum wage would have a bad effect on our country, while others believe it could help the country develop. Raising the minimum wage would help the lower class people make more money, not even make more money but help them live. The lower class have claimed "they want a $15-per-hour “livable” wage"(Newsela). Right now they are living on $7.50-per-hour, which is not livable if they need to support a family. I believe you cannot even support yourself on $7.50 an hour, let alone a family. As stated in the article "fast-food workers across the country skipped work on purpose" trying to prove a point that they need the minimum wage raised. I believe the minimum wage should be raised to help support the lower class.

    Caroline Beatty - Period 7.

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  2. The idea of raising minimum wage has raised many debates in the United States. This debate varies depending on what state you live in. This issue affects me because as a high school student when I work I make minimum wage. “Almost a third of minimum-wage workers are teenagers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics” (The Atlantic). Minimum wage is currently $7.25 per hour but it might go up to $10.10 per hour. “People working to get a higher minimum wage must be realistic about what increases they push for at the polls, said Peggy Shore” (Newsela). What is important for people to understand that raising minimum wage will also raise the cost of living. Before a person takes a side in this debate it is important for them to understand what raising minimum wage would do to their state. I think it is good that this battle will continue because there is more research to be done before making a decision.
    Donnie p7

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  3. The debate on whether or not we should raise our federal minimum wage has been going on for many months now. Depending on which state, class, and other factors you either support to raise minimum or to keep it the same. Those against it say it will kill small businesses and the supporters say it will help the less fortunate get by. Newsela says that, "Earlier this month, fast-food workers across the country skipped work on purpose. They did this to show people they want a $15-per-hour “livable” wage. Such pay would be more than double the current national lowest allowed pay of $7.25" (Newsela). Having this many people protest against one cause shows that we need a change and that people want this change. Even though it doesn't seem compared to the amount of people working that a lot of people are on minimum wage, but in reality a lot of people are. The Atlantic says that, "According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.57 million Americans, or 2.1 percent of the hourly workforce, earned the minimum wage in 2012" (The Atlantic). 2.1 percent of people isn't a large percentage of people, however if you look at the 1.57 million Americans, it seems a little more shocking. 1.57 million is a huge amount of people, and this needs to change. Increasing the minimum wage will greatly help the less fortunate earn more money and help them pay for their homes and food. If the minimum was raised even a little bit, then they might even have a little extra to save or use it to treat themselves to something nice.
    Chris Altavilla - Period 1

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  4. My response to this article about Minimum Wage is that everybody should be increased because teenagers and any person that has a job is not getting paid the right amount of money. People that work 8 hours a day and being paid $7.25 is not enough to have a home or even having a family. In my opinion they should raise it up or maybe even take it into consideration for other people. The lower class is mostly who is struggling with getting paid minimum wage. If this changes people will be able to do more things with there families and even maybe do good things for themselves once in awhile. If this minimum wage never changes than i believe people do not care for the less fortunate people in this world.
    E.D- Period 3.

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  5. Minimum wage was created in 1938 to be a livable wage, and to ensure citizen’s ability to sell their labor for a reasonable amount. With a federal minimum wage of $7.25, it is no longer doing that. As the fast food workers who are striking state, they need a “Livable wage, more than double the current federal floor of 7.25.” Without this raise, Americans rely on food stamps and other government supplements to survive. The opposition argues that “Even if [raising the minimum wage] doesn’t create mass joblessness, legislating higher wages specifically hurts the young and unskilled workers they’re meant to help.” However, A slight decrease in employment will not impact the workers, who will no longer be forced to work two jobs to subsist. Though it may not create an abundance of jobs, raising the minimum wage would make the existing jobs fair and survivable for those who must live off minimum wage.

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  6. In today's economy, we are just barely surviving off of minimum wage, seeing that it's $7.25 an hour. If we were to make a raise, just enough to help people gain more support with living stances and keeping health care for their families, I think more of our population would feel supported with every day living. In a Wall Street Journal article they said, "The state minimum wage is $7.25, but entry-level employees typically make $12 to $15 an hour. This happened because the state’s dynamic economy created a demand for labor and supports increased pricing to offset increased wages." If we were able to do that as well, then maybe employees in fast food franchises wouldn't be living off of food stamps. Minimum wage should be raised.
    Aaliyah H. Scott P.6

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  7. Increasing minimum wage has its pros and cons. The good thing about raising minimum wage is that the workers who get paid minimum wage will be getting more money for the hard work and time that they put into their jobs. A problem with raising minimum wage is that everything will end up costing more; “The cost of living is a measure of the expenses for basic necessities like food, clothes and housing” says the press. Raising minimum wage wouldn’t exactly help people become wealthier, but perhaps lowering tax deductions on our hard working paychecks. If a worker is being paid federal minimum wage at $7.25 per hour, you won’t be getting paid $7.25 because of taxes.

    Mike Gogliettino

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  8. Frank F.
    The minimum wage is a hotly debated topic. Some say it should be raised and others say it shouldn’t. I say we shouldn’t because the main problem isn’t where the wages are, but first lets go into the reasoning that most people have for their side. For the people who want to raise argue that daily expenses are too high for today’s minimum wage and need to be risen so people can keep up. Raising it can also allow people to buy more things and bring up the economy. For the people who don’t want to raise say that it can cause jobs to be cut so small or even big business can make up for having to pay more for workers and will rely on technology to make the rest up. Thus causes the economy to go down because people aren’t getting money. Both sides have their points but in my eyes they are both wrong. Its not the wages that matter, its more that they’re not many “safe jobs” for people to go to. There should be more on a focus on making service jobs in other words, Jobs the people do a task/take care of something for someone else for either providing enjoyment or making life easier. These jobs could be from yard work to dancing to anything that doesn’t really involve making things like phones or desk jobs. People need to stop trying to get safe jobs because there not any to begin with or not safe at all. A store doesn’t need to raise wages but people need to create their own jobs and try something new.

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  9. i feel as if everyone should be getting paid the same amount of money for minimum wage. its not fair that other states are getting paid more for example seattle. In the article it states “Seattle passed a $15 hourly rate in June”. Now I understand that things in different places at stores are all different prices from eachother, but it needs to be a even price that we all can agree on. I personally would want the minimum wage to get raised. B.D

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  10. It looks at first that raising minimum wage would only benefit people. It would give more money to people who need it, and according to the article, "Labor Activists Look for Wage-Hike Support from Red States", people support the idea. The article states, "Earlier this month, fast-food workers across the country participated in a strike in favor of a $15-per-hour “livable” wage," (Salazar). However, the domino effect would negate the benefits of the hike, because it would make it harder for employers to pay their employees, resulting in more people being laid off and raised product prices. This would, according to the article, "Minimum Wage, Maximum Politics", hurt the consumers, "particularly those with low incomes who are supposed to be helped by a minimum-wage increase," (Puzder). This would defeat the purpose of the hike. Therefore, if anyone asks me, I do not support the option to raise minimum wage.

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    1. It looks at first that raising minimum wage would only benefit people. It would give more money to people who need it, and according to the article, "Labor Activists Look for Wage-Hike Support from Red States", people support the idea. The article states, "Earlier this month, fast-food workers across the country participated in a strike in favor of a $15-per-hour “livable” wage," (Salazar). However, the domino effect would negate the benefits of the hike, because it would make it harder for employers to pay their employees, resulting in more people being laid off and raised product prices. This would, according to the article, "Minimum Wage, Maximum Politics", hurt the consumers, "particularly those with low incomes who are supposed to be helped by a minimum-wage increase," (Puzder). This would defeat the purpose of the hike. Therefore, if anyone asks me, I do not support the option to raise minimum wage.
      Andrew S. Period 3

      P.S., I forgot to put my name the first time, sorry for posting twice.

      Delete
  11. Is an hour of your time worth $7.25? Considering that we all go to school and have extracurricular activities, you’ll probably say no, that your time is much more valuable than that. Adults working minimum wage jobs have similar feelings. For every hour that they work for $7.25, they are not with their family and children. While the same if probably true for your parents, their jobs (unless they work for minimum wage) pay much better and require them to work less hours. I feel we should raise the minimum wage. In the article The Atlantic posted, they give different opinions and statistics on minimum wage and possible raises to it. They say, “And President Obama threw his support behind a bill that would increase the federal minimum to $10.10 an hour and require it to rise with the cost of living” (Should We Raise the Minimum Wage? 11 Questions and Answers). I agree that minimum wage should rise with the cost of living because if everyone working for minimum wage couldn’t afford housing, there would be a lot of homeless people. Newsela published a piece comparing how different states manage their minimum wage laws. It states,” States have already been busy on the minimum wage this year. Ten state legislatures and the District of Columbia have raised their minimum wages in 2014, according to the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures”( Labor activists look for wage-hike support from red states). This should be a red flag for people who do not support a minimum wage hike. If ten states have raised their minimum wages this year, it must be a prevalent issue that everyone should consider.

    Katey Y. Period 5

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  12. I think minimum wage should go up higher. People are working so hard to live, if they don't get paid enough for what their doing what's the point of staying at this job? Now some people may agree with me others may not. In the article Higher national minimum wage seen as not likely it states that “President Barack Obama would like that amount to be higher”. This is saying that even the president thinks people are working to hard and not getting paid enough it needs to be raised. Now some people may not agree with me for many reasons but the big reason is will it put your jobs at risk? In the article Should We Raise the Minimum Wage? 11 Questions and Answers. It states that “you mostly have traditionalists who believe that increasing the minimum wage kills some jobs for unskilled workers, like teens, but isn't destructive enough to raise the overall unemployment rate. They commonly estimate that a 10 percent wage hike will reduce teen employment by somewhere around 1 to 3 percent”. This statement is saying that raising the wage might kill jobs, but people are almost killing themselves to get a good amount of money for their family. So yes i think it should be raised for the amount of work were doing in the job.
    Mary Tourangeau Period:6

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  13. Raising minimum wage has its positive effects and negative effects. One of the pros being that lower class people will be able to make more money and have a better way to live. One of the cons being that things will cost more money and people who don’t have jobs or couldn't get a college degree won’t be able to pay for anything or provide for their families. Personally, I think minimum wage should not be raised because this will affect the people who weren’t able to get a college degree or major in anything, in a negative way and also it will be harder to provide for themselves and their families if things cost a lot more than they initially were. In the article, Labor Activists look for wage- hike support from Red States; it talks about how people aren’t necessarily thinking of the consequences of what the outcome will be if minimum wage was increased. “People working to get a higher minimum wage must be realistic about what increases they push for at the polls” said Peggy Shorey. Shorey is hinting towards the fact that people who are saying, yes increase minimum wage because ill make more money don’t realize that in the end everything will cost more and add up so it can get harder to support families. Also, in the article, Should we raise the minimum wage? 11 questions and Answers, it talks about by increasing the minimum wage there is more chance of people losing their jobs, mostly teens or the ones not as helpful during work. “They commonly estimate that a 10 percent wage hike will reduce teen employment by somewhere around 1 to 3 percent. “If minimum wage is increased more people have the chance of being jobless so they won’t be able to provide much for themselves or nothing at all.
    -Quochelle Small Period:7

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  14. “Earlier this month, fast-food workers across the country skipped work on purpose. They did this to show people they want a $15-per-hour “livable” wage. Such pay would be more than double the current national lowest allowed pay of $7.25. The Seattle City Council passed a $15 hourly rate in June. Some people are pushing for that figure elsewhere in Washington state.” This quote in the article shows how much the people of Seattle make for minimum wage and it shows how low it is for other states. In my opinion I believe minimum wage should be around $8-$10 an hour. Most of the time the people who make minimum wage are teenagers, so I don’t believe $15 dollars is an appropriate amount to give to a teenager. For some states like Michigan I think the income for minimum raise should be raised because most of the other states are at least over $8.
    Elliot S. Period 6

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  15. I believe that minimum wages should stay the same. Although that making $10.10 as minimum wage would be nice, begin a teenager and all. I believe that minimum wages should stay the same because it could cause problems such as higher prices in stores and also a problem for small business owners not being able to pay employees. “Let’s give America a raise, and make our economy stronger” said president Obama. This may seem simple but there are many set backs that are not worth raising the pay. "The only other option is to raise prices." This would be a problem.

    -Chris B. Period 7

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  16. I think that minimum wage should be increased because the cost to live increases and prices to buy things goes up every year. In the article Higher national minimum wage seen as not likely it said “Federal law requires that employers pay their workers at least $7.25 per hour”.That is not a lot of money for someone to live or support a family.The minimum wage should go up so that every state is almost the same and should be about $8.00-$10.00 per hour.In the same atricle it said “ The current minimum wage in Arkansas is $6.25 per hour”.This is not right and it is below federal wage.In the article Should We Raise the Minimum Wage?11 Questions and Answers it said “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.57 million Americans, or 2.1 percent of the hourly workforce, earned the minimum wage in 2012”.I think that it is a lot of people making minimum wage and some making less than $7.25.

    Mario Florio Period 6

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  17. Minimum wage has caused many debates all across America. Raising minimum wage has been pushed by the president but many states believe that it should remain where it is. Raising the minimum wage would benefit the low wage workers but not small businesses where some of them work at. If the workers get an increased salary, that means they would have to raise their prices. People would find stores that have lower prices and then the business would have to be shut down and many people would lose their job making the unemployment rates shoot up. On the contrary, raising the minimum wage would have a positive effect on poverty. It would give workers more money to pay their bills and it would also give them more spending money. They would be able to buy more things that would benefit businesses, big and small and the government because they get the taxes. The best bet for America is to just keep minimum wage where it is at right now because there are too many ups and downs to determine if the final outcome would be positive or negative.
    Mike A. period 1

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  18. As the constant and controversial debate of minimum wage continues, we look at how the different cities and states take the amount in their own control and change it around the federal minimum. I don’t think we can say as a whole country that yes the federal minimum should be raised or no its perfectly fine the way it is. As a highschool student, of course getting paid $10.10 an hour would make working much better compared to getting paid $8.70, but the raise is not exactly necessary. “The point is simple: The feds can mandate a higher wage, but some jobs don’t produce enough economic value to bear the increase.” This is showing that even though individuals would personally benefit from the additional money the businesses they are working for may not be able to keep up with the wage, and then the unemployment rate may start to increase. “An effective minimum-wage policy would also recognize that there are at least two distinct groups of workers who earn the minimum wage.” We see that later in this article it continues to compare who those are who are getting paid minimum wage. Those who are trying to support a family on minimum wage, which is a very small percentage of all “entry level” minimum wage earning workers, are those who want and potentially need the raise. Although because it is such a small amount of people, when the raise does occur it will also be raising the wage for the workers who are younger and are working these jobs in order to get experience, not build a life around them.

    Jessie Pantani
    Period 7

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  19. I think that the minimum wage should be increased. The minimum wage now in CT is $8.70 and I believe it should be $15 just to live off. People who work 5 hours per day now would be getting paid $43.50 instead of getting paid $75 a day. In the Newsela article it talks about “The strike was to demand pay of $15 per hour. They call this a “liveable” wage.” I believe that getting paid $15 per hour is actually liveable. Also in the Newsela article it says that “An increase in the minimum wage does not just help the lowest-paid workers. Other workers also would see their pay increase” so just not the poor people but other people would benefit from this as well.
    Mark Naranjo
    Period 2

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  20. Minimum wage continues to be a controversial topic in government. The federal minimum wage, or the lowest amount that employers can legally pay per hour of labor, is $7.25. I believe that our country should raise its minimum wage. It is difficult to imagine supporting yourself on only $7.25 an hour, when you have many expenses, such as a mortgage, heath insurance, food, etc. Many workers are striking against these unlivable wages. For example, "fast-food workers across the country participated in a strike in favor of a $15-per-hour “livable” wage, more than double the current federal floor of $7.25. The Seattle City Council passed a $15 hourly rate in June, and some activists are pushing that figure elsewhere in Washington state." Raising minimum wage could encourage the impoverished to join the workforce (rather than seek illegal means). Next, because low-income workers are extremely likely to spend a large majority of extra income, this money could stimulate the economy, raise the GDP, and lead to the creation of thousands of additional jobs. Although extremely wealthy CEO Andy Puzder (40% of whom's workers are part time and exempt from ObamaCare Coverage) believes that, "but some jobs don’t produce enough economic value to bear the increase" the minimum wage is not adjusted to inflation. Some states such as Alaska, are making proposal to tie minimum wage to increases in Consumer Price Index (result of inflation).

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  21. I think that raising minimum wage would be a good thing. The article says,” An increase in the minimum wage does not just help the lowest-paid workers. Other workers also would see their pay increase.” This means all workers will receive more money. They can now use that new income to purchase things they couldn’t buy before. The workers getting a raise must understand the raise cannot be too much it will devalue the dollar. “People pushing for a higher minimum wage must be realistic about what increases they ask for, said Peggy Shorey”.
    Brad Valalik

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  22. The discussion of minimum wage has brought up citizens feelings about it. You might say that every worker receiving minimum wage, will obviously want minimum wage to be raised; I agree. But do I think minimum wage should actually be raised? Not exactly. I understand how it must be hard for the older workers in which are raising families and have to support them, that are earning minimum wage. But as a high school teenager, its not necessary for us. If minimum wage is raised, it will be raised for everyone, causing teenagers to also earn $15 an hour. If that were to happen, then the cost of things we use in our daily lives, will go up. "Tying annual increases to CPI changes is something people argue about." Workers would be earning more, but then they would be paying more for their necessities, even though $15 an hour is considered "livable" wage. I believe that the pay wage should be determined by state, because some states cost more to live in than others. Each state should take matters into their own hands and deal with it that way, instead of dealing with the country as a whole. That way there will be much less controversy and many more people should be satisfied.
    Kendall S. period 7

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  23. In the United States there has been big controversial issues concerning the topic of minimum wage. Should we raise minimum wage or keep it the same? Some believe that raising the minimum wage wouldn't help because it causes layoffs and rising of produce and products. But, I believe that we should raise the minimum wage. We should raise the minimum wage because it gives people opportunities to support the needs of themselves and of their families. If everyone worked on the same pay that they have now they wouldn’t be able to afford anything without working two or more jobs. In the article, Should We Raise the Minimum Wage? By the Atlantic it says, “… But the median raise for those lucky enough to get one was just 10 percent —which is to say, kind of a pittance, in terms of actual dollars and cents. Given the weakness of our present economy and the long-term erosion of middle-class jobs in this country, it might be even harder to move up today” (The Atlantic). How many people are stuck in low wage jobs trying to raise money so they can support their families? How many people are stuck in low wage jobs just wishing they could do what they love and support their families at the same time? I believe if we raise the minimum wage it would give better opportunities to people. In the article, Minimum Wage, Maximum Politics, it says “The middle class and working poor are struggling. While the stock market soared to historic highs, the labor-participation rate dropped in September to 62.7%—the lowest since 1978…” (Andy Puzder). If we raise the minimum wage there may need to be some adjustments concerning problems of increased produce and job layoffs but that is a fixable problem. The problem that isn't yet fixable is that if we don’t raise the minimum wage things are just going to get worse.
    Ariana D. Period 1

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  24. Obviously raising the minimum wage has its benefits and it probably would be helpful to the labor force. But we can save all the trouble in raising the minimum wage when it may only be a tiny bit beneficial. We shouldn't spend all our resources and time on raising minimum wage when there are bigger and better things that can be done to help the people in poverty. Therefore the federal minimum wage should stay the same. The state's can do whatever they want to tweak this but nationally, there shouldn't be any change. These two questions and answers illustrate that the wages aren't the solution to the problem. "How many people earn the minimum wage? The short answer is: Not many." If there aren't many people earning minimum wage, there shouldn't be such a large push to raise it if it won't affect a lot of people. "Who benefits the most? The poor, or the middle class? Mostly the middle class." Instead of helping the middle class, who have a decent living, we should be helping the poor, who have much less than the middle class. The key here is to support the majority of the poor people in order to improve poverty.
    Tom S. Period 1

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  25. Though the article “Minimum Wage, Maximum Politics” can be seen as overly opinionated, I do agree with most of its claims. One of the problems the author had with raising the minimum wage was that it would end up decreasing the amount of jobs available to the working poor and middle class. He argued that “...middle-class business owners...when faced with a 40% increase in labor costs...will cut jobs and rely more on technology. Such changes are already happening in banks, gas stations, grocery stores, airports and, more recently, restaurants. Almost every restaurant chain in the country from Applebee’s to McDonald’s is testing or already implementing automated ordering with tablets or kiosks.” If companies are planning on replacing humans with machines for most tasks, as the quote claims, raising the minimum wage will simply encourage and accelerate this process. Furthermore, I agree with the opinion that one state or area’s “liveable wage” is not the same as another’s. Peggy Shorey, the director of state government relations at the AFL-CIO, stated in the article “Higher national minimum wage seen as not likely” that “‘Arkansas is not the same as Seattle,’” meaning that the cost of living in Seattle (where the minimum wage was recently raised to $15 an hour) is a lot higher than the cost of living in Arkansas. So, a national minimum wage would not be as effective as, for example, each state raising its minimum wage. Overall, though raising the minimum wage has good intentions, it would most likely not produce the positive effects that Americans are hoping it would.
    Gabby D. Period 5

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  26. Raising the minimum wage is a very popular idea for the solution to poverty. The basic idea is this: Why not just pay the people who aren't earning enough more money? I believe that raising the minimum wage could help to a degree, but will not be very effective. A raise in minimum wage would help those making minimum wage and therefor increase the money in their pocket, which goes back into the economy. However, an increase which some states/areas are pushing is unreasonable and impractical. "Earlier this month, fast-food workers across the country participated in a strike in favor of a $15-per-hour “livable” wage, more than double the current federal floor of $7.25. The Seattle City Council passed a $15 hourly rate in June, and some activists are pushing that figure elsewhere in Washington state." (Salazar) It is unrealistic to think that an owner of a Burger King or Wendy's can afford to pay 15$ an hour to make a burger. Is this a fair value for this level work? Another point that pushes me away from such a large increase of the minimum wage is the demographics when it comes to minimum wage workers. The Atlantic writes, "62 percent of those under 25 are enrolled in school. They're not necessarily planning to make a career folding snack wraps." The majority of the people who would be affected do not fully rely on these wages to keep them alive.

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  27. Raising minimum wage would definitely benefit our country. People who disagree fail to recognize the long term effects of raising minimum wage and only focus on the instant outcomes. For example, one who disagrees with the increase of minimum wage might say that, "Unfortunately, [a] 40% minimum-wage hike would...reduce employment opportunities for those who need them most." However, these people do not take into account that when a wage increase has been implemented, the employees will have more money to sustain themselves and more money to put back into the economy. Once a person can earn enough to sustain themselves, they can save some of it for materialistic items, stimulating the economy. They will also have the potential to create their own business, which results in more jobs. The current minimum wage is far too low to sustain even a single person, let alone an entire family. As of now, "The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, which means that depending on the city you're in, 60 minutes of work will just about buy you a Chipotle burrito." Surely, an our of our hard work and effort is more valuable than that. Here, it is evident that the minimum wage must be raised. It can only do good for our country.
    Erika Maercklein Period 5

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  28. The battle over minimum wage has been fought for quite a while now, but it is time to end the fight and start acting.The poor are working multiple jobs yet they cannot support their families. This needs to be fought. Of course the big corporations will fight this at first, but in the long run, they will end up making more money. In Alaska, " 58 percent of surveyed potential Alaskan voters supported the state initiative there"(Salazar). The extra money that is spent to raise the minimum wage will be brought back into the economy, and back to the big corporations, at the end of the day. It is possible that "On the other side, you have researchers who believe that increasing the minimum wage doesn't kill jobs at all and may even give the economy a boost by channeling more pay to low-income workers who are likely to spend it."(Weissmann)It is also possible that the raised wages would make it possible for the poor to work only one stable job that will support their family as opposed to three jobs that they barely got by working. This would then open up more jobs for other people. It is time to raise the minimum wage.
    Ellie B. Period 5

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  29. I believe that we should keep minimum wage at what it is now instead of raising it to $10.10. For a teenager like me it might be nice to be making more money since I would probably have a job that only pays minimum wage, but, there are too many other setbacks. For example,"The only other option is to raise prices." This shows that if minimum wage is increased then prices will have to be raises so there is no point in raising minimum wage. Also, "They will cut jobs and rely more on technology. " If minimum wage is increases people will lose their jobs because some businesses don't make enough money and wouldn't be able to keep up with the minimum wage increase so people would be losing jobs. Therefore, raising minimum wage is a bad idea because it wouldn't solve any problems it would just make new ones.
    Ryan Moriarty

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  30. The federal minimum wage is falling hopelessly short of doing its job. At its inception, it was intended to be the minimum wage off of which people could live comfortably and without constant struggle. Today, it is anything but that. The current minimum is $7.25; if it had been continually adjusted for inflation, it would be $10.90, which is significantly more than the proposed raise to $10.10 Although some describe the problems this would cause for small business, others focus on how the positive benefits outweigh the negatives. Weissman states that "when the minimum wage goes up ... businesses shape up. Managers find ways to make their employees more productive. Turnover slows down, since people are happier with their paychecks, and the unemployed snap up jobs elsewhere in town." Although some people will lose their jobs, many, many more will be lifted out of poverty. It's more important that we have the most possible people able to support themselves than to have a plethora of people just scraping by. We also can't rely on states supplementing the federal minimum wage in the way that Connecticut does. Salazar goes on to say that "The current $6.25-per-hour state minimum wage makes Arkansas one of three states lower than the federal floor for hourly wages." For many people, raising the federal minimum wage is the only morally viable possibility we have if we want to ensure that the minimum living wage is truly livable.

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  31. Although it will not solve all of the poverty related issues, I do feel that increasing the minimum wage would be a step in the right direction for our country. As of right now, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 which is simply not enough money for someone to live off of and provide for themselves. The article "Should we Raise the Minimum Wage?" states, "depending on the city you're in, 60 minutes of work will just about buy you a Chipotle burrito." This just goes to show how our minimum wage certainly can not cover all living expenses for one person. Additionally, "If no minimum wage workers are laid off or have their hours reduced, the minimum wage increase is simulated to yield $4.0 billion in monthly benefits." Therefore, an increase in minimum wage also has potential to benefit the entire country as a whole. Also, in a general sense, I feel that the wages people earn should definitely reflect their work performance and ethic in their field. These hard-working employees work extremely hard for their money and they should get what thy deserve. Steve Copley says "“Every penny that somebody who is working hard can get helps." Furthermore, the employees would certainly be grateful for an increase in minimum wage.
    Sam Coleman-Period 1

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  32. The federal minimum wage should be raised. The federal minimum wage should be raised for numerous reasons but Steve Copley, chairman of the Give Arkansas a Raise Now coalition, describes it best as he said “Every penny that somebody who is working hard can get helps,”. This statement, in a nutshell, sums up why the federal minimum wage should be raised because it helps the 91,000 people working at the minimum wage level not to mention that The Atlantic reported "The Economic Policy Institute estimates that if Washington increased the minimum to $10.10 as Obama would like, some 21.3 million employees would eventually be guaranteed a raise". So to clarify more than a fifthteenth of the U.S. population would positively benefit from the minimum wage being increased. That's a lot of people that would positively benefit, therefore don't the positives out weigh the negatives by about 21.2 million?
    Jake J. 1st period

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  33. Minimum wage is a controversial topic that we hear about often, and will continue to be a controversial topic. Even though after one year of working and earning minimum wage, most workers get a small raise, it won’t go up much and, “it might be even harder to move up today.” Someone who earns minimum wage will gradually have their salary increases by very little amounts over many years, but it keeps getting harder to increase the low wages. If the minimum wage was raised, then people would earn at least what many people are paid today after years of working the same low paying job. Across the country, workers, “participated in a strike in favor of a $15-per-hour “livable” wage.” I believe that although a higher minimum wage could lead to an increase in prices, it is a more realistic pay. This would mean that an hour of work could buy you two meals, instead of $7.25 one meal. It would leave more money for families to use on things that they need, but may not be able to buy if the parents are only earning the current minimum wage.
    Emma D Period 1

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  34. I do believe that minimum wage should be raised for multiple reasons. It would be great for the workers and for some to have n easier time raising a family. But then again it’s not everyone who needs to get 15 dollars an hour. It also wouldn’t have much of a great benefit because “most minimum wage earners don’t live under the poverty line.” So everyone who stands for raising minimum wage are not even in poverty! Also most people who work with minimum wage are the middle class not even the poor. In the article “ should we raise minimum wage? 11 questions and answers “ it says that “if minimum wage were increased to $9.50 from $7.25, only 11.3 percent of beneficiaries would live in impoverished households.” This means that raising minimum wage wont even help the people living under the poverty line that much! I overall think that raising minimum wage is a good thing and we should but if we are raising it to help people out of poverty than it is not really helping so maybe it is not that good of an idea if that is what we are doing it for.
    Shannon F Period 5

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  35. A raise in the minimum wage will produce a wage in the unemployment rate. Forcing companies to pay more will make them only able to afford the wages of a smaller number than before because each person now needs to be paid more. In the subtitle (?) of the Wall Street Journal article called, "Minimum Wage, Maximum Politics", it says, "A mandated 40% increase in labor costs will put people out of work. But, hey, anything to help get out the vote". This is completely correct, and it will help no one. In Connecticut, the minimum wage is $8.70, and with the 40% price increase, the wage would now be $12.18. Companies are used to paying all of their workers $8.70, and only have enough to pay their employees $8.70. Now, with the $12.18 wage, companies will not be able to afford to pay all of their employees, and many will have to be laid off. Also, in the Newsela article, the big argument for raising minimum wage is that it is a livable wage. In this article, it states that, "Earlier this month, fast-food workers across the country participated in a strike in favor of a $15-per-hour “livable” wage, more than double the current federal floor of $7.25". With this increase to $15 per hour, the cost of living will increase, meaning the cost of all the food will raise as well at the fast food restaurants, which is counterintuitive; it is not helping companies, it is not helping workers, and it is most certainly not helping consumers.

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  36. I think that we should raise minimum wage. Currently minimum wage in America is roughly around $7 but there has been a lot of debate on whether or not we should raise this to at least $10.10. There are a lot more benefits to raising minimum wage rather then keeping it to what it is now. An increase in minimum wage, “would give a raise to Americans who already have jobs earning the minimum wage.” (The Wall Street Journal) This will allow the poverty line to rise higher then it currently is and will also help increase jobs. This is because citizens who need more then one job to help them pay for necessities will no longer need to work two jobs opening up a surplus of new jobs.

    Jessie O

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  37. To be honest, I don't think that minimum wage should be raised. over anything else, it will cause more damage. The outlook goal for the wage increase brings it to $10.10 an hour. If we were to raise the pay to $10.10, there would be less money to go around. In the article "Minimum Wage, Maximum Politics" by Andy Puzder, he stats that, "this 40% minimum-wage hike would also reduce employment opportunities for those who need it most." So as for raising minimum wage to help lower poverty rates, I think it would quite honestly be disastrous. By eliminating already existing jobs because of the inability to pay a larger amount of workers, and eliminating the chance to create more jobs would just plummet our economy even more. Overall, it was a good notion, but not the best one to throw on the table.
    Skyler Unitas
    Per. 1

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  38. Minimum wage is highly debatable. Everyone has their opinions. The federal minimum wage is $7.25. I argue that it should be raised. Wall street journal stated "The feds can mandate a higher wage, but some jobs don’t produce enough economic value to bear the increase. " I believe government should help jobs provide wages. If a business doesn't make enough to pay higher than it is currently, then the government should provide money to that business to pay its workers. Also, business's could slightly raise prices, creating more revenue. This would benefit the workers, but also the company / business owner. The Alantic Article states "Almost a third of minimum-wage workers are teenagers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Teenagers would actually benefit due to they don't need to pay bills. This would also help out the economy. Raising minimum wage would influence teens to spend money, and circulate the money flow through our economy. Minimum wage being increased is definitely a smart choice, and would help us through our life times.
    Scott K. Period 1.

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  39. In the United States today minimum wage should be raised to 10.10$. By raising minimum wage it will raise thousands of people out of poverty. The current minimum wage isn't enough to survive on for one person let alone a family. However the raise needs to be gradual. As I learned in the article, Minimum Wage Maximum Politics, "The feds can mandate a higher wage, but some jobs don’t produce enough economic value to bear the increase."(Andy Puzder) With a 40% increase in minimum wage it will have some down sides. Some workers will be laid-off due to the increase in minimum wage and, like the article said, some businesses won't be able to handle it. But, raising minimum wage still needs to happen. Like I learned in the article, Should We Raise Minimum Wage?, raising minimum wage will only benefit our country. In the article Jordan Weissmen states, "When the minimum wage goes up, the theory says, businesses shape up. Managers find ways to make their employees more productive. Turnover slows down, since people are happier with their paychecks, and the unemployed snap up jobs elsewhere in town." Therefore raising minimum wage is the best thing to help our country.
    Abby A
    period 5

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  40. Ofcourse, everyone wants to get paid well but under the circumstances, that may not be possible. I think it will help with income inequality. In the article, Should We Raise the Minimum Wage. 11 Questions and Answer, the author writes, “The vast majority of these workers aren't teenagers. And among minimum wagers older than 25, Heritage notes that the average household income is $42,000 a year. Is that poverty? Not unless you're a single parent with eight children. But is it rich? Of course not. ”A single mother raising couple of kids by her self with less than $8.00 minimum wage just seems so unfair to me. How is she supposed to pay for her kid’s education, food, shelter with a low income. Second of all, workers earning more money is a benefit to the country. They will be able to buy more products which will boost up the economy. “They did this to show people they want a $15-per-hour “livable” wage. Such pay would be more than double the current national lowest allowed pay of $7.25. The Seattle City Council passed a $15 hourly rate in June.” I think that the higher the wage, the better. There might be issues with profits and budgets for employers but when economy goes up, so do the businesses.
    - Shradha S P-1

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    Replies
    1. Ofcourse, everyone wants to get paid well but under the circumstances, that may not be possible. I think it will help with income inequality. In the article, Should We Raise the Minimum Wage. 11 Questions and Answer, the author writes, “The vast majority of these workers aren't teenagers. And among minimum wagers older than 25, Heritage notes that the average household income is $42,000 a year. Is that poverty? Not unless you're a single parent with eight children. But is it rich? Of course not. ”A single mother raising couple of kids by her self with less than $8.00 minimum wage just seems so unfair to me. How is she supposed to pay for her kid’s education, food, shelter with a low income. Second of all, workers earning more money is a benefit to the country. They will be able to buy more products which will boost up the economy. “They did this to show people they want a $15-per-hour “livable” wage. Such pay would be more than double the current national lowest allowed pay of $7.25. The Seattle City Council passed a $15 hourly rate in June” (NewseIa) think that the higher the wage, the better. There might be issues with profits and budgets for employers but when economy goes up, so do the businesses.
      - Shradha S P-1 ( sorry forgot to write where I got quotes )

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  41. Raising minimum wage to the federal minimum of $10.10 will not cause businesses to significantly raise prices or cut jobs because "some jobs don’t produce enough economic value to bear the increase"(Puzder). The truth is, is that yes, "The only other option is to raise prices"(Puzder), however, it's not true that " it would be near-impossible to increase prices enough to offset the wage hike...those with low incomes who are supposed to be helped by a minimum-wage increase."(Puzder) because of inflation.
    See, if an owner of a company, such as a restaurant franchise company, raised minimum wage by 40%, it wouldn't actually raise company labor cost by 40%, the way Puzder made it out to seem. But, if lets say the cost of labor was 8% of the companies expenses, and the minimum wage was raised by 40%, labor costs would only become aprox. 12% of company expenses.
    Labor costs are such a small amount of total company expenses, compared to all other costs such as electricity/gas costs, cost of goods(meats, cheese, produce, ect.), server supplies, ect. All of those other expenses are far more expensive then labor expense.

    So, now that companies are forced to raise prices, doesn't that mean that Applebee's will lose business to their competitor Ruby Tuesday's and loose lots of money? Doesn't this contradict the idea of raising minimum wadge, now that the minimum wage workers are buying the same products with higher prices, resulting in the same problems from before(minimum wage cycle)?
    No. Inflation my friends, inflation.
    If Applebee's makes up for the "40% labor cost increase" by making their originally priced $5.56 cheeseburger to $5.66, they don't face the fear of losing costumers. Why? Because this is a federal minimum wage increase! Meaning that, Applebee's competitor, Ruby Tuesday's, will raise their $5.56 cheeseburger to $5.66 as well. This is what inflation is. No business loss.
    Here's the other answer. No, minimum wage employees will not be stuck in the same cycle of making a small amount of money, and then spending it on products that have become more expencive, such as the cheeseburger at Applebee's. Now that the employee is making so much more money, a 10 cent or so increase in a product is not going to be too expensive for the minimum wage worker. The billion dollar corporation, Applebee's wins in this situation as well. Now that the min. wage worker is making 40% more than what they were making, it's likely that they can afford two $5.66 cheeseburgers. Thus, putting money right back into the economy.
    Let's allow people to have jobs that can truly support the cost of living. Let's put money back into the economy.
    Remi S
    Period 5

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  42. I do not think that the minimum wage should be increased. I don’t think that people should be protesting for this. According to the newsela article, “They did this to show people they want a $15-per-hour “livable” wage. Such pay would be more than double the current national lowest allowed pay of $7.25.” I understand that sometimes it’s the only job people can find, but if the fast food workers want a better pay then they should try to get a better job. The Wall Street Journal article also talks about the same thing saying, “If government could transform unskilled entry-level positions into middle-income jobs, the Soviet Union would be today’s dominant world economy.”
    Nick E.

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  43. By the way, the Applebee's and Ruby Tuesday's example was just an example. It's not the actual price of their products.

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  44. A minimum wage increase is a desperately needed and overdue aspect in daily American life. Minimum wage is simply too low; it cannot support an individual let alone a family. Many of the minimum wage workers are not teenagers or individuals who just need spending money. Many are people who have no where left to help their family or themselves because the government stopped short of helping them. Minimum wage also helps "the middle class and poor would still earn more income collectively in the deal.". The argument that minimum wage kills jobs can be seen as baseless when we look at evidence that seems to point to the contrary. Some research also shows ""If correct, the minimum wage could be doubled and cause only a 1 percent decrease in teenage employment,". Unfortunately, a rise in minimum wage is still not the way to cure poverty, however, it is a great start in the right direction

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  45. In my opinion, I believe that we should not increase minimum wage in the United States. While reading the articles, it has started to make more sense to me as to why it would be a bad idea to raise minimum wage. Before I had these resources available to me, my theory was that in order to raise minimum wage, stores would have to raise their prices in order to pay their emplyees. Just as I had guessed, Andy Puzder says in his article “Minimum Wage, Maximum Politics,” “The only other option is to raise prices. Yet it would be near-impossible to increase prices enough to offset the wage hike, particularly given today’s economic conditions.” Also, people will have to be laid off because companies wouldn’t be able to keep up with their salaries right away. Just as Puzder says again, “But here’s what middle-class business owners, who live in the real world, will do when faced with a 40% increase in labor costs. They will cut jobs and rely more on technology.” To be completely honest, no matter what any president will try to do, Americans will never be completely satisfied. We will always want more.

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  46. Raising the minimum wage has always been, and will always be a controversial topic in America. People associate minimum wage increase as the solution to the poverty in America today. There advantages to gain from raising the minimum wage, but the disadvantages outweigh the advantages by a lot. If we were to set a higher minimum wage in place, it could have detrimental effects on businesses and even the economy. What if a small business working on such a little budget already was unable to provide the newly higher wages to their employees? Employers would have to lay off their employees and as this happens the competition for a job would intensify, requiring more experience which most people seeking a minimum wage job don’t have. Not to mention the huge increase it would bring in product costs as employers try to gain money back from the increase in employee’s wages. The Wall Street Journal published article writing, “The president minimum wage might cost 500,000 jobs, according to Congressional Budget office estimates.” If raising the minimum wage is the only solution that America can think of, it’s pathetic that 500,000 jobs will be lost in the process. That same article by The Wall Street Journal read, “…any politician sincerely attempting to help those in need would recognize the impact of federal increases and the need for policies that increase economic growth.” A minimum wage increase wouldn't be so bad if there was another policy passed to ensure economic stability but without that, a raise in the minimum wage would bring only harm. In the long haul this increase in minimum wage would cripple this already unstable economy.

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  47. Many people debate weather or not we should raise minimum wage. I personally believe that we should. It is time the people get a raise and get a little more pay. "The state minimum wage is $7.25, but entry-level employees typically make $12 to $15 an hour. This happened because the state’s dynamic economy created a demand for labor and supports increased pricing to offset increased wages." Raising the minimum wage will help improve many things. For starters, I believe that when we raise minimum wage it will allow for more people to feel more stability in their home. They will feel as if they can support their family and be able to feed them and give them shelter. I think it is very important for the American people to feel stable and safe within their homes. Overall, I believe that we should raise minimum wage because it will help the American people.
    Alyssa S class 1

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  48. The topic of minimum wage has proved to be extremely controversial, therefore making a solution the nation-wide problem difficult to solve. Throughout the various articles, I noticed that Democrats, in particular, want the minimum wage to be raised to $10.10 per hour, as proposed by Obama. However, many, including Republicans, believe that this increase in minimum wage could cause the overall economy to suffer greatly. For example, “The point is simple: The feds can mandate a higher wage, but some jobs don’t produce enough economic value to bear the increase.” This point of view is very common, as is the Democratic point of view. Regardless of the political views on the problem of minimum wage, something must be done to help the people who make $7.25 per hour. These are the people who are really suffering. They are angry that they must work long shifts to just have a place to live and food to feed their families. An example of this is, “Earlier this month, fast-food workers across the country participated in a strike in favor of a $15-per-hour “livable” wage, more than double the current federal floor of $7.25.” Clearly, the minimum wage workers are not happy with the way they are being forced to live because they can barely support themselves. This is why I firmly believe that the minimum wage must be increased to provide a more stable living environment.
    Jillian McGuire- Period 1

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  49. The debate over increasing minimum wage is very controversial in the United States. Recently, there have been many protesters working in the lower class across America, voicing their opinion that the minimum wage should be raised. In fact, as stated in the article, “Labor activists look for wage-hike support from red states”, Earlier this month, fast-food workers across the country participated in a strike in favor of a $15-per-hour “livable” wage, more than double the current federal floor of $7.25.” Although it is believed by some that increasing this wage could potentially lead to economic growth and spending, I tend to disagree. Raising the minimum wage could have negative impacts on small businesses. This is because, owners would have to pay their workers more yet, if they did not have this increased wage readily available for each employee, people would have to be laid off, resulting in job loss. Also, the prices of products would have to rise to compete with the businesses paying their workers more. As said in “Minimum Wage; Maximum Politics”, “The point is simple: The feds can mandate a higher wage, but some jobs don’t produce enough economic value to bear the increase.” Therefore, price increases would be a burden to consumers. Overall, some businesses truly do not have the money needed to provide a wage increase for all its workers so, as a consequence, 500,000 could be lost.
    Carolyn C. Period 5

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  50. It is drastically important that we as a nation agree to take measures to raise the minimum wage. Despite misconceptions, the depths of the issue are extreme. Conservative groups may argue that a large portion of minimum wage workers are teenagers. This can be easily refuted, however, as a mind-boggling forty-five percent of all 1.57 million of these employees are over the age of 25. As an article written by “The Atlantic” states, “The vast majority of these workers aren't teenagers. And among minimum wagers older than 25, the average household income is $42,000 a year; well below the median household income of $51,000.” Doing so will not kill jobs, but allow the economically unstable to survive off of just one job- rather than two or three. As the theory suggests, “When the minimum wage goes up, businesses shape up. Managers find ways to make their employees more productive. Turnover slows down, since people are happier with their paychecks, and the unemployed snap up jobs elsewhere in town. Meanwhile, Burger King and McDonald's can raise their prices a little bit without scaring off customers.” It is essential that we make progressions regarding this task. If approached correctly we may be able to lift the impoverished out of turmoil and ripple currency through the system far faster than ever before. The lower classes will slowly have more money and thus, spend more. Eventually, the middle and higher classes may share in the fruits of their success, and provide major stimulus to the economy.

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  51. Raising minimum wage needs to happen as soon as possible. Families who are struggling to survive can't be helped by welfare alone, and we can't just let one aspect of government help falter. People who work minimum wage jobs can barely manage more than a couple meals a day and a place to sleep at night. It's incredibly difficult to sustain a family when only a few people in the family are able to work. Also, if the focus is on surviving and they have no opportunities for bettering their lives, they are not able to pursue the education that might really pull them out of the poverty that they were living in. Some might say that raising minimum wage causes employers to short-staff. "Instead of forcing businesses to cut staff, raising wages simply spurs them to become more efficient". Another reason that minimum wage should be raised is because people would no longer need to work more than one job to subsist. Jobs would open up for other people. "Think of the minimum wage as a way of getting more money to the broader working class." If people are being allotted more money, they'll spend it, and more money will be flowing through the economy.

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  52. Minimum wage needs to be raised in America. People that work jobs on a minimum wage salary can bearly live on there own and that is not ok. For some people it is hard enugh to find a job and its awful that when they can find an entry level job that they bearly get paid a living wage.Some people would say that companies would be less likely to hire more workers if they had to pay more but as JORDAN WEISSMANN says in "Should we raise the minimum wage" "Researchers have been fighting over this question for a century—one of the first major government studies on it, involving Oregon's early minimum-wage law, was conducted in 1915—and the answer, I hate to tell you, is still murky."so we may never kknow for sure unless we atually take action and do something about the minimum wage.
    Tyler R

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  53. Morally, raising minimum wage would allow people to have more money to fulfill their basic needs, therefore a better chance at living a comfortable lifestyle. It seems wrong to deny people at least an opportunity at this. Practically speaking however, for what Obama promises, "...to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25 ...," (Minimum Wage; Maximum Politics) it poses some questions. Only 11% of the U.S. population earns minimum wage, and of that, 62% is under 25 and in school. Is it fair for everyone earning minimum wage to get paid more or just those trying to support theirselves? Can people even support theirselves? While living wage varies from location to location, it still estimated to be closer to $15/hour especially after, "...Residents of SeaTac, Washington, voted to turn their tiny city into a living economics experiment by increasing its minimum to $15 an hour." (Should We Raise the Minimum Wage? 11 Questions and Answers). Will efficiency be lost? Some businesses won't be able to afford to pay for all workers, so people will be let go. If a lot of businesses can't or won't hire workers because of the minimum wage standards, it's possible there will more unemployment. I think the intentions for raising minimum wage are good, but it doesn't seem like it will be completely beneficial to everyone.
    Meredith J. Period 5

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  54. Minimum wage in Connecticut is now only $8.70, which in relation to the rest of the US is a fair amount higher than the national minimum. However, it still isn't enough. The cost of living is steadily increasing, but the wages to accompany those costs are not. Obama is push for the limit ""...to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25 ...," (Minimum Wage; Maximum Politics) to accommodate such costs. I believe this is a great idea that will help put the economy back on track. With the current Min. wage a single person could barely afford a 1 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment in the worst parts of Connecticut, let alone support anyone else in their family. On the other hand we have to worry about the price of everything we enjoy raising as well, therefore devaluing the USD even more. However in an article by Sara Lemos, an economic journalist, "found that a 10 percent US minimum wage increase raises food prices by no more than 4 percent and overall prices by no more than 0.4 percent." With that said i don't believe that raising the minimum wage will hurt the United States economy, but strengthen it and bring new opportunities for workers, while still letting people afford proper housing.

    Ian Spidalieri Per. 3

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  55. Minimum wage has become a very controversial topic, and the debates have been about whether or not we should make it higher. It is something that the majority of people depend to live off of, which is why it should be raised to make it easier for them. Full time workers who get paid minimum wage are getting tired of trying to make a living off of $7.25 an hour. In fact, “earlier this month, fast-food workers across the country skipped work on purpose” (McClatchy 6) to make a statement about what they wanted, which was to get the minimum wage up to $15. Someone who is working full time should not have any problems financially no matter what their job is. One site mentions that “more than 6 million people are ‘not in the labor force’ but ‘want a job now’” (Puzder 2). Maybe if people were getting paid more for what they do more people would be motivated to get a job. Not many people enjoy getting paid $7.25 an hour working full time. Increasing the minimum wage would solve so many problems.

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  56. I feel that minimum wage should be raised to an amount that people would be satisfied with and that could better suit their living expenses. If minimum wage was raised, I think that more people would have motivation to get jobs and to work more. Although minimum wage is different in each state, It would be better for people to support their families and there wouldn't be as many families struggling to pay off rent, bills, mortgages, etc.
    Morgan Riccio Periood 7

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  57. On the topic of minimum wage, I took the stance that we should raise the minimum wage to $11. This was one of my main points I made in my paper to stop poverty. I argued that this would initial get most minimum wage workers out of poverty and that with this increase in money they would be able to put it back into the economy, helping our economy. Our president is also a fan of raising the minimum wage to $10.10. But the Wall Street Journal article Minimum Wage, Maximum Politics believes that a raise in minimum wage will put more people out of work and have stronger disadvantages then advantages. This article also says that, in fact, “the administration’s motive is political, not compassionate.” I agree that the increase would destroy jobs initially but once the minimum wage workers are able to improve our economy that the companies will re-hire many more employees. The article Labor Activists Look for Wage-hike Support from Red States talks about how there steps are occurring at the state level in mostly republican states to raise minimum wage. Shorey, with the AFL-CIO, says “Red states passing it reinforces this doesn’t have to be a totally partisan issue,” this proves that this topic is not just supported by Democrats that many Republicans want this too. I see that America is beginning a movement that will surely bring with it change to the minimum wage
    Owen B P:5

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  58. When talking about raising minimum wage it's a hard topic to talk about. Yes it would be great to be able to raise minimum wage " increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25" for all of the hard working people out there but there is a major problem that comes with that. When raising the price of minimum wage that makes you have to decrease the amount of workers you have due to the Increase of ones pay check. People would be getting more money for their work but at the same time other people would be getting laid off. In America today there are many people struggling to find and job and by raising minimum wage it will make this harder on those people and thousands of more people. Since the decrease of jobs would happen the people with the higher paying jobs would have to do more of the work and work more hours since the employer staff want down. Minimum wage would be a great thing but the effect that it had on people and their jobs would be a terrible thing.



    Sarah Wirtz
    Period 3

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  59. The topic of raising minimum wage has been a controversial one for a while now. I can see both sides on this topic. Obviously with this would come a lot of set backs but I also think there would be a lot of benefits. As said in the article, “Let’s give America a raise, and make our economy stronger.”(Obama) This raise would be a nice benefit for the people who are already working a low wage job because most aren’t easy. But then there is the fact that with raises would come job cuts. Having to raise hundreds of employees pay would be a lot to a company. And as also said in the article, “…would also reduce employment opportunities for those who need them most”(Puzder) we know the pros and cons of raising the wage but in the end I think we should just do it. It will result in benefits later on that will be good for everyone.
    -Lexie period 5

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  60. I believe that the minimum wage should be raised. This holds true because "In Alaska the minimum wage would be tied to increases in Anchorage Consumer Price Index ... The CPI samples the cost of everyday things." This shows that the minimum wage would be in agreement with how much it cost to live. This would be good because people complain that the minimum wage right now isnt enough to cover everyday living. "A poll in Arkansas was taken in April. It found that more than three of every four voters surveyed supported their states ballot proposal to raise pay for low wage workers." This shows the people want it and i am with these 3 out of 4 voters.

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  61. I think that we should raise the minimum wage. I think this because as the price if living raises so should the minimum wage because if you are making less then the standard way of living then there is no way you won't be struggling unless you work two or more jobs wich if you do that then your life is just ruled by work you won't have any family time or time with friends

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  62. Mine was the one posted at 11:28 am- Dan O'Neill

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  63. I think that we shouldn’t raise the minimum wage. This can be bad if we raise the minimum wage then the prices for other thing can go up. “ The only other option is to raise prices. Yet it would be near-impossible to increase prices enough to offset the wage hike, particularly given today’s economic conditions.” So if they raise the minimum wage then the companies will increase the prices of their product. Also it wouldn’t be fair for those people who actually went to college and studied to get paid better because if they start giving $15ph to the workers that work in fast food restaurants who didn’t try to get a good education. “Earlier this month, fast-food workers across the country participated in a strike in favor of a $15-per-hour “livable” wage, more than double the current federal floor of $7.25. The Seattle City Council passed a $15 hourly rate in June, and some activists are pushing that figure elsewhere in Washington state.” If they start doing this then people will just stop going to school and just start working and get paid $15ph. So raising minimum wage is not a good option.

    Romik Patel
    Pd: 7

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  64. I personally believe that we should not raise minimum wage in the united States. Raising the minimum wage would cause businesses to lay off more employees in order to continue to make a profit and to be able to pay the remaining workers the higher wage. Also many of the people who are protesting about the wage are older people who have a family and kids who are working an entry level job that teenagers should be working. We as a nation cannot give handouts all the time to those who are not willing to work hard for them. In my opinion if you are working at Mcdonalds and you have a family then you should not be working their period because it is not fair to their family and it is not fair to the tax payers who have pay for welfare for a person who refuses to work harder for a higher paying job. Giammattei Michael
    P:7

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  65. I don't think that we should have minimum wage because we would only be going up two more dollars and it would also effect the taxes. In the article "Should We Raise the Minimum Wage? says that with the thought of raising it the minimum wage would only go to $9 an hour. It would make it "noticeably harder for low-skilled workers to find employment." Also it wouldn't increase that much for teens because it says, "If correct, the minimum wage could be doubled and cause only a 1 percent decrease in teenage employment," they wrote.
    Period 3 Patty Chalmers

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  66. minimum wage should not be raised because if minimum wage got raised all the prices on goods(food,cloth) will get raised too (their prices would might go up a bit more. Based on data from 80s and early 90s, Daniel Aaronson estimated that a 10 percent increase in the minimum wage drove up the price of McDonald’s burgers, KFC chicken, and Pizza Hut’s pizza-like product by as much as 10 percent)and it will affect small business owners because they would be paying there employees more money.
    Momen

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  67. We should raise the minimum wage, because every single day the cost of our life is getting higher and higher, and unfortunately we don’t have enough money to survive. It is a difficult situation, because of how bad the economy is right now. Yet, I believe that it is something that will eventually have to be done in order for families to survive. In the article: “Labor activists look for wage-hike support from red states” it says that different states have different minimum wage limits and some don’t have a minimum wage at all. Shorey, with the AFL-CIO, said she thought successful ballot measures in November could help families and change the national discussion on the minimum wage debate. “Red states passing it reinforces this doesn’t have to be a totally partisan issue,” she said.
    As the midterm elections approach, President Obama is calling on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour from $7.25. “Let’s give America a raise, and make our economy stronger,” he said on Thursday at Northwestern University. In the article: “Minimum wage, maximum politics”, it says the labor-participation rate dropped in September to 62.7%—the lowest since 1978—according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They are saying that the whole issue behind raising the minimum wage is politics. I could understand their point, but I do believe that the middle income families need a raise. Maybe it should be a little less than 40%, but I believe at least 30% is needed.

    Denisse M. (Period-7)

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  68. I believe we should not raise the minimum wage because it will affect our economy if we do that and the price of the dollar will go down and things will cost more money. Everything will even out. Also businesses will not be able to afford hireing young people because they will not have enough momey to pay them. President Obama said Let’s give America a raise, and make our economy stronger,” which isent true. Most small businesses will be heavly effected if they cant pat there employees. - DOMINICK CORRAO PERIOD 3

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  69. Raising the minimum wage will help workers and our economy. Many people treat a minimum wage increase like it is a new concept, but, in reality, it has been increased to keep up with rising costs 22 times since its creation in the 1930s. The last increase was in 2007- before the 2008 recession- which means another is long overdue. One argument against an increase is that it will force employers to fire workers that they can not afford to keep on, but the Atlantic article claimed that it actually forces businesses to clean up their operations and increase their efficiency, not fire people. Additionally, a minimum wage increase will not inflate prices significantly; the article stated that "most studies reviewed above found that a 10 percent US minimum wage increase raises food prices by no more than 4 percent and overall prices by no more than 0.4 percent." I think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks by far.

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  70. Overall, raising the minimum wage would benefit our economy. The price of living is growing day by day and there are too many people who are struggling to make ends meet everyday. There are not enough jobs available that pay enough for one person to live let alone an entire family to live on. Since prices are growing shouldn't the amount of money people are getting paid increase too? It only makes sense that people have the opportunity to make enough money to supple themselves with a decent life. Some may argue that if the minimum wage is increased companies will be forced to fire people and hire less but, "Instead of forcing businesses to cut staff, raising wages simply spurs them to become more efficient". The minimum wage needs to be increased in order to stimulate the economy and help those in poverty have room to recover from their finical states. -Shelby Olivieri Period 1

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  71. I believe we should not raise the minimum wage because it will affect our economy more than it will help it. President Obama says “Let’s give America a raise, and make our economy stronger,”, doing this will only make it worse. By increasing the value of the dollar, the true value will decrease. Another point is small businesses will not be able to afford to pay for their employees. In the article it says “The feds can mandate a higher wage, but some jobs don’t produce enough economic value to bear the increase”, they are 100% right for many reasons. Say a business is on the edge of going out of business and there just staying afloat. Now add another weight on them by raising minimum wage and they will sure go out of business. –Dominick Corrao Period 3

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  72. As of right now, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 which is simply not enough money for someone to live off of and provide for themselves. The article "Should we Raise the Minimum Wage?" states, "depending on the city you're in, 60 minutes of work will just about buy you a Chipotle burrito." This just goes to show how our minimum wage certainly can not cover all living expenses for one person. Additionally, "If no minimum wage workers are laid off or have their hours reduced, the minimum wage increase is simulated to yield $4.0 billion in monthly benefits." Therefore, an increase in minimum wage also has potential to benefit the entire country as a whole. This means that raising minimum wage wont even help the people living under the poverty line that much! If we raise the minimum wage there may need to be some adjustments concerning problems of increased produce and job layoffs but that is a fixable problem.Overall, it is important to think in the long run, and the benefits which will effect our country for decades ahead.

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  73. i do not think that minimum wage should be raises. i think this because the people that want it to be raised don't realize that it wont help them at all. i think that it wont help them because everything is going to cost more so say that mcdollaonds has to pay their workers the 15$ an hour that they want then all the prises of the food is going to go way up becuase then they wont be making as much money."they want a $15-per-hour “livable” wage"(Newsela). also if this was to happen alot of workers would be laid off in order for the company to be making a profit. last i think this should not happen because it work hurt the people that arnt making minimum wage because everything is going to cost more and they are going to be getting payed the same.
    - james mason period 7

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  74. I don’t agree with our state increasing the minimum wage because it would decrease the number of jobs in the area and overall that would hurt the economy. I think that it would hurt the economy because an arctic by Jordan Weissmann called Should we Raise the Minimum Wage? 11 Questions and Answers states “If no minimum wage workers are laid off or have their hour reduced, the minimum wage increase is simulated to yield $4.0 billion in monthly benefits.” What this quote is saying is that all the people that make minimum wage all together would make 4 billion monthly. If you think about thats a lot of money that a companies has to give up up without laying people off and what I think is that a company never do this because company owners are greedy and want to make as much profit as possible.
    kris vass

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  75. I strongly believe that the federal minimum wage should be raised. While there is dispute over whether or not this would simply lead to more job loss, the fact remains that $7.25 an hour is simply not a substantial wage to live on. Minimum wage should allow all citizens to cover their expenses, so they can sustain a steady life style and contribute to the economy by putting money back into the economy. And while it may seem like a small portion of workers who are affected by this raise, it's actually quite a large number of people. "Should We Raise the Minimum Wage? 11 Questions and Answers" is an article which covers the statistics with a very non-biased point of view. According to their statistics, "In the end, we're talking about a policy that would give somewhere around 11 percent of workers a raise." When you think about how many workers we have in this nation, 11% is quite a large number of people. Also, where the current minimum wage stands, it is very difficult to move forward onto better jobs or positions inside those jobs. Raises in minimum wage jobs are very rare and those who do earn raises are not given large raises. The same article as before stated "But the median raise for those lucky enough to get one was just 10 percent—which is to say, kind of a pittance, in terms of actual dollars and cents." The statistic given in this quote is rather sad, given that 10% of minimum wage is barely helpful. We need to change our economy from the bottom up, by helping those at the bottom.
    -Rome

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  76. I believe the minimum wage should be raised. It really seems to be impossible to live off of $7.25 and hour. That is just not fair. Minimum wage workers want more money,"they want a $15-per-hour “livable” wage", and I do not blame them. Those people deserve it. Minimum wage jobs also tend to be extremely hard working, sometimes physical labor, and making so little money does not make it worth it. raising their wages will help they buy more of what they need to survive on, therefore, it would help the economy. But for all reasons, the best is simply that it is not fair some make so little money compared to others who make billions. How do you support a family, how do you even support yourself?

    Katherine Salvatore

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