Life at the minimum wage is one of suffocation.Bills roll in, not all roll out, and when they
start to pile, you start to take things out of life that are necessary. No nights out,none, eating as
cheaply as possible, no movies or other modes of enjoyment. It means busses and long walks,
and weight of financial burden that would make Atlas stand agape. And don’t even think about a
car, insurance and gas is way too much.All of that, isn’t even the full pill that hundreds of
thousands of Americans swallow each day.
Most people working at the minimum wage are those who we don’t think about. The
ones that we disregard because they made mistakes in their lives or something unfortunate
happened to them. They are 35 years old,a quarter have children and almost all work very,very
hard. Most work full time and have real bills to pay.
4.6 million people would be lifted from poverty with a minimum wage of 10.10$. The
Economist estimated, due to how rich and modern the U.S. is, the minimum wage should be
around 12 $. The wage has lost about 8% since 1984, of its buying power,according to
pewresearchcenter.org and while that doesn’t seem like alot, the munimum used to about half
the average wage of all citizens, now it’s a third. All this adds up to simple conclusion,raise the
friggin minimum wage.
Now you may be saying “Hey,we’ll lose jobs” and while that is a common argument
against it,the reality it is unfounded. While yes those at the bottom of the totem pole would lose
jobs many others right with them would take a step up from poverty. The median household
would not lose any money and in reality they would not be affected by the change in any way.
While it would seem that it would be a simple law of business, the less you can pay your
workers the bigger the profit,and while that is true and that some bussiness work on very small
profit margins they also now have more paying customers. More people who can actually live a
good life, who have some disposable income, that they may be willing to spend at that business.
Remember people, a life at the minimum isn’t just high school students making an extra
buck, it’s also hard working, blue collar people,who should have the chance at a better life.“If the
misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our
sin”Charles Darwin.
Life at the Minimum
by Shaunhan Murray