Ted Kennedy once said that no one who works a forty-hour week fifty-two weeks a year should live in poverty (Rankin). One way to help ensure that a diligent worker never lives in poverty is with a sufficient minimum wage. Described as the lowest wage paid to an hourly employee by law (Mish 741), the minimum wage is important to many American households. With the current federally regulated minimum wage rate at $5.15 per hour (Bernstein), many American households are finding it hard to live outside of poverty. Because those who make minimum wage can barely pay bills, feed their children, and clothe themselves, the minimum wage should be raised so that they can afford these basic necessities.

When President Franklin Roosevelt first enacted the 25-cent per hour minimum wage in 1938, it was meant to be a “living wage”. A “living wage” was one that would maintain all worker’s health, and general well being (Teichner). When the minimum wage was first enacted during the late 1930’s the concerns of businessmen were the same concerns that they face today. Their concerns are and were that a minimum wage, or the increase thereof, would drive up the cost of doing business and in tur

The critics of a minimum wage increase are more often than not adamant in their opposition to a minimum wage increase. Their argument has been made with a couple of central points. Some elements of the opposition to a raise of the minimum wage contend, “[…] the vast majority of people making minimum wage are youngsters just beginning their careers […]” (Sowell). By making this statement the opposition justifies itself in dismissing the needs of those minimum wage workers who are not “youngsters”.

There is currently a push to raise the wages of airline workers in light of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The raise is targeted at baggage handlers and janitors, many of who are paid minimum wage (Murphy and Brinkley). It is clear that the raise has been called for with the presumption that the work performed by minimum wage baggage handlers and janitors is substandard. If this logic were applied to all workers who make minimum wage, then it can be said that the work of childcare technicians and fast-food workers is also substandard. However, there has currently not been much of a push for a raise in the minimum amount that these workers can be paid. Is it not obvious that a childcare technician or a fast-food worker could have just as large an impact on our lives as an airline employee?

There is a rather alarming disparity in the average incomes of white and black families. The disparity is often referred to as an income gap. Costing 7.5 million black families $120 billion dollars, the income gap between white and black families rose by f

Some topics in this essay:
Murphy Brinkley, Republicans Democrats, Franklin Roosevelt, minimum wage, Ted Kennedy, Bernstein American, wage increase, minimum wage increase, raising minimum wage, black families, raising minimum, income gap, families minimum wage, families minimum, supported legislation, black families minimum, atypical average, average minimum wage, American Dream, democrats supported, baggage handlers,