Whether or not the federal minimum wage should be increased has been a controversial topic in the United States. Twenty-nine states have enacted state laws to raise their minimum wage, while twenty-one are still going by the federal minimum wage of $7.25. The federal minimum wage should be raised because it will keep up with inflation, stimulate the economy, and lift people out of poverty. A minimum wage raise would help get people out of poverty. People who work full-time but only earn minimum wage are not earning a living income. At $7.25 an hour, a full-time minimum-wage worker earns $290 a week, and $15,080 a year. (Smith 10) President Obama himself stated, “No one who works full-time in America should have to live in poverty.” (qtd. Smith 10) An increase would make it easier for American to earn a living wage, which would improve the overall quality of living in the United States. The Los Angeles Economic Roundtable recently concluded that raising the hourly minimum to $15 in Los Angeles County -- the nation’s largest, home to 10 million people -- would generate an additional $9.2 billion in annual sales and create more than 50,000 jobs. (Meyerson) Since research shows that …show more content…
People against the raise claim that it would cause job loss because small businesses would not be able to keep up with the increases. If this was true, then San Francisco with a minimum wage of $15, would not be creating more small-business jobs than any other city. San Francisco’s success with its minimum wage increase proves that it would be beneficial for the nation’s economy. An adequate minimum wage actually increases a community’s level of sales and thereby creates more jobs.(Meyerson) The extra money in workers paychecks boost the economy because it would increase spending. People who have enough money, and do not need to just focus on necessities, can spend more on luxuries. This would cycle more