E-Faecalis

What do you believe the federal minimum wage should be? Be sure to take a sociological perspective and reference the concept of living wage while crafting a 2-page argument. Background Information: During the 2013 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama urged Congress to raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour, "This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families…It could mean the difference between groceries or tahe food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead." Donald Trump chimed in on July 27, 2016, "The minimum wage has to go up…But I think…that states should really call the shot…At the same time, people have to be taken care of" Despite these declarations from both sides of the aisle, the federal minimum wage has remained stagnant at $7.25 since July 24th, 2009. Proponents contend that the current minimum wage fails to meet the requirements to have a basic quality of life and leaves families reliant on government programs for additional income. Instead, they call for the institution of a living wage, or the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their needs that are considered to be basic with respect to geographic location. They argue that with a living wage an individual can take pride in their work and enjoy the decency of a life beyond the ditch of poverty wages. Since a living wage is a complete consideration of the cost of living in an area, it fluctuates according to where you live and the size of your family [you can find a living wage calculator at http://livingwage.mit.edu/ 1. Opponents say a higher minimum wage will hurt jobs. Their argument is that employers will hire fewer people or reduce their hours to maintain lower operating costs. They may compensate for the extra expense in other ways that can hurt consumers, such as by raising prices. Instead, many argue that wages should be dictated by the free market, whatever a worker is worth, rather than by any government-imposed limits. During his presidential campaign, Trump said that while he does not know how people survive on $7.25 an hour, he wants states to decide what their minimum wage is because "states have to compete with each other.'