Increasing the Minimum Wage
The topic of having an increase of decrease in the national minimum wage is a persistent issue and political debate where many people share several different opinions. The minimum wage should be required by law to be increased to $15 dollars per hour, nationally. By stating that increasing the minimum wage is necessary, it is not to be done immediately. Instead, it is best to be giving an outpaced increase time and allowing the economy to slowly adjust to it. The increase in the minimum wage would reduce national poverty rates, allow people to afford everyday necessities, and eventually increase productivity and economic growth.
The minimum wage should be legally enforced to $15 an hour, due to the fact that, it will reduce national poverty rates. According to a 2014 Congressional Budget Office report, just by increasing the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 there would be an increase of about 300,000 people out of poverty. Likewise, over 900,000 people would be raised out of poverty if the minimum wage was raised to $10.10. These poverty rate reductions provided in the Congressional Budget Office report are made by just a couple dollar increase, however a $6.75 increase to the
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In a poll conducted in 2013 by Oxfam America, stated that about 66% of U.S. workers earn less than $10 per hour, and they would “just meet” or at times “didn’t have enough” to meet the needs of surviving. Also, 50% admitted that they would have frequent concerns of not being able to provide these needs to their families and themselves. The National Low Income Housing Coalition reported that, a worker must earn at least $15.50 an hour to be able to afford a one bedroom apartment. This is double the current minimum wage meaning that a person would need to be working at least two jobs, just to meet the bare