The federal minimum wage is the lowest wage at which employers may pay their employees. Since July 24, 2009 the U.S. federal minimum wage has been set at $7.25 per hour. In 2014 President Obama proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 and tying it to an inflation index. The federal minimum wage applies to all federal employees including those who work on military bases, national parks and veterans working in nursing homes.
@ISIDEWITH12yrs12Y
Yes
@9GKC2NX 7mos7MO
Top Agreement
Minimum wage needs to be enough that someone working 40 hours a week at that wage can afford housing, transportation, food and health care without needing government assistance. Wages lower than that threshold essentially promote government subsidization of employers
@9GLP9H3Republican7mos7MO
if minimum wage is an issue find another job; there are so many opportunities. raising the minimum wage would raise inflation.
@9GKZP7F7mos7MO
I agree but someone with a big family should not be working a job that has minimum wage so I do not think it should be raised.
@9GKCR4J7mos7MO
Minimum wage should workout for everybody and prices on goods and other objects that are needed for daily life should be reduced so that low income families don't have to struggle to feed themselves and their kids.
@9GKCTJQ7mos7MO
Minimum wage needs to be abolished because it forces small businesses to comply, and since smaller businesses cant keep up with it, it makes them go out of business while big business can grow and become monopolies.
@9GC2374 7mos7MO
people cant live off of minimum wadge, the price of food alone is outrageous, the housing market, HUD doesn't even give people the amount of money to find a house that is halfway decent or has working anything. how are we supposed to live on a dollar a day when some of us need more food because of a medical condition. most people cant even get AN APPLE with one dollar because apples are like five friggen dollars. why are we made to live like this, but others get to live lavish lives where they get anything and everything they want?
@9GC53TF7mos7MO
I agree with this comment, taxes and inflation have been on the rise without, any raise in pay to accommodate or make living manageable.
A higher minimum wage could stimulate economic growth. When people have more disposable income, they're likely to spend more, and this increased demand can ignite business growth and potentially lead to job creation. Moreover, adequate compensation can improve workers' morale and productivity, which can benefit businesses in the long run.
@9GC57BJ7mos7MO
They should increase it or how else would they pay for rent, bills, taxes, food supplies, and needs? And if they have kids, how would they feed them or pay any of those with one dollar?!
@FearlessCoatiRepublican7mos7MO
Consider the potential inflationary effects of increasing the federal minimum wage. For example, businesses might have to raise prices to compensate for higher labor costs, making everyday goods and services more expensive for everyone, including those on minimum wage. In fact, a Congressional Budget Office report estimated that a $15 minimum wage could result in 1.3 million lost jobs. Instead, how about we explore alternative solutions like expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit to help low-income families without the risk of job loss?
@9GBZCXB 7mos7MO
Its logical to raise minimum wage right along with the cost of living. How can you live off a low minimum wage if your cost of living is two times more than what you make.
@9GKZF7B 7mos7MO
i think it should go up cause people can work 10 hours a day for 5-6 days a week and and barely be making it by
@9GL2DPD7mos7MO
Yes very true you can be making 16 an hour and making barley making almost $2000 but because inflation is going up it's harder to get by because your income is the same but prices are going up.
@9GL35N6Peace and Freedom 7mos7MO
Yes! Minimum wage should definitely be increased! This person has a really good point and they're right. The economy today is crazy expensive. Many people are living paycheck to paycheck, or others have many jobs at once barely making it. It doesn't make sense how jobs pay very little when the economy is not very affordable.
@ISIDEWITH12yrs12Y
No
@9GQLPLCRepublican 7mos7MO
The government SHOULD raise the federal minimum wage. As costs of living rise, and minimum wage is not adjusted for inflation, it gets harder and harder for people to support themselves and their family's basic needs.
@9GQMQ4N7mos7MO
Yes, I agree! Inflation is getting out of control. I have no idea how adults are making it on minimum wage alone.
@9GQMG7H7mos7MO
The government should raise the federal minimum wage because of how expensive things are becoming. Also the difference of how much you may get paid doing the same job in different states because one state goes by federal minimum wage for everything, but others may have their own.
@9GQMNTH7mos7MO
The government should slowly raise minimum wage with inflation but if you move it too much, then everything gets more expensive including food attractions or anything.
@4Y59ZBF 6mos6MO
Minimum wage was intended to be a living wage and has failed to keep up with inflation/worker productivity/cost of living.
@9GWQ4BH6mos6MO
Yes I agree. Even though in an ideal world, everyone would be able to make a living wage, but unfortunately, it would just not be feasible for all businesses to be required to pay such a high wage in this current economy, while also still remaining profitable and open for business. Such legislation, although done with good intentions, would likely force a lot of companies to lay off a lot of their workers, leading to high levels of unemployment, and considerable damage to the economy.
@9FVLRY7 8mos8MO
The government SHOULD raise the federal minimum wage. As costs of living rise, and minimum wage is not adjusted for inflation, it gets harder and harder for people to support themselves and their family's basic needs.
@9GX9TFBPeace and Freedom 6mos6MO
People in the working class and below need money to survive, and $7/h is not enough. They have to work multiple jobs and won't have any spare time since they're always working. If minimum wage workers get paid a living wage, then that will leave more time for them to do other things. How would you feel if you spent all your time working a dead-end job and not even getting paid enough for it?
@9GXDBZH6mos6MO
I agree because people that work minimum wage jobs may not be able to care for their children properly due to them being at work all the time. The amount they get paid is also not enough for them to take care of their basic necessities.
@9GXBG7JIndependent6mos6MO
As human beings we need to be able to afford everything we can because in our country it seems the government wants money more than our health and we’ll being so they want to keep us alive but not living
@ISIDEWITH12yrs12Y
Yes, and adjust it every year according to inflation
@9FB87S2 8mos8MO
Top Agreement
A minimum wage allows workers to have the basic right of labor, and adjusting it every year according to inflation could prevent the loss of jobs.
@9FDCMG88mos8MO
increasing minimum wage increases business expenses therefore increasing prices on services and products thus cancelling the increased pay by increasing cost of living
Workers should have basic right of labor, but adujusting the minium wage every year can be very unstable to the workers.
While it's understood that annual adjustments could introduce a degree of unpredictability, it's also important to consider the historical context. For instance, in Australia, wage adjustments are made annually based on inflation and other economic factors. This has not led to instability, but rather it has helped maintain a decent living standard for low-wage workers. Moreover, tying minimum wage to inflation has been an effective tool against poverty in countries like France. What could be a counter-solution to balance the need for a fair wage and the perceived instability annual adjustments might bring?
@9FCCTMPWomen’s Equality8mos8MO
The issue of raising the minimum wage lies in the concept of the circular flow. Yes, we can increase the minimum wage, however, this would be detrimental to small businesses and allow large corporations to take a larger piece of the industry. Large corporations such as Target are for raising the minimum wage, not because they are a loving and caring retail giant, but because it allows them to compete better against their competition, and push other businesses that can't afford to pay their employees raised minimum wage out of the industry. When these corporations need to lay off employee… Read more
@9FBPT998mos8MO
Minimum wage is the starting job/inflation rises along with this wage and should not be allowed to rise.
@9GHSYR37mos7MO
When inflation comes into play, the livable wage is no longer as livable as it once was. If we don’t raise the minimum wage along with inflation, then those food items and apartments that were once affordable will be unaffordable. The wage we are given for work as minimum wage employees needs to be enough to get us by, that is the entire point! If the government is unwilling to keep up with the inflation around the country, they are not committed to a providing a living wage.
@9GJ7QX77mos7MO
The main problem with increasing wages is that if you increase the minimum wage, companies will just increase their prices. Even if we reduced wages anymore now, the prices may not change. We need to find a balance that would keep prices low, but wages at an acceptable standard. That's the tricky part. If you want to get paid more: Work harder, and you'll be compensated by your employer.
@9GJ7BZ97mos7MO
Inflation will only get worse when we increase minimum wage. This country is already in a state of despair and it is important that we combat the inflation situation without making it worse.
@9GLZ4NW 7mos7MO
People do not get a living wage through laws passed by the government but through the state of the economy, the problem is due to the labor market not to the laws. Raising the minimum wage will just make it more difficult to get a job, force people to work more and cut people from the job market. Setting a minimum wage doesn't change the reality of the economy, private companies just follow the market, they are as greedy as the market let's them to be. That's why engineers have very high salaries and are not paid to a minimum wage because their work has more value and they have… Read more
@VulcanMan6 7mos7MO
If you agree that the issue stems from private interests making for-profit decisions over our economy, then the solution should be to abolish that system of organization.
@9GHZ2RG7mos7MO
Increasing minimum wage increases the production, distribution and store cost of every product that is purchased. Therefore the product cost will increase for the individual at a higher rate. If one finds they need more money, then it is up to the individual to learn marketable trades to earn more, not the government to force companies to pay more for unskilled labor.
@9GJSXT4Independent 7mos7MO
We can provide data and charts showing the separation and widening gap of minimum wage in comparison to the cost of living. We don't need to. We just need to ask individuals working full time and have 3 roommates. It has become lunacy. All we want it to work hard and have the same opportunities previous generations have had.
@9GK3PQM7mos7MO
It should be pointed out that, back in the 1950s, when the US was an economic powerhouse, tax rates on the wealthy were much higher, and CEOs’ comparative salaries (compared to line workers) were much lower. We have have economic success and still lower the gap between the rich and the poor.
@9GK3K5LPeace and Freedom7mos7MO
the mimimum wage gap is clearly miles apart from each other which is a problem that should be taken care of because of the high rise of inflation
@Devroe 6mos6MO
The minimum wage in this country is set ridiculously low and no one making this little could have a hope for sustaining themselves without assistance or working multiple jobs. At $7.25 an hr. a person working full-time, 40 hrs/week would only be making $1160.00 a month before taxes. So let’s break that down. The tax rate for this amount of income is 12% which would be roughly $139. $1160-$139 = $1020. The average rent for a 1 br apartment in this country is around $1100 but let’s be generous and say this person got lucky and found a room for rent for $600. $1020-$600 = $420. On… Read more
@9GTBY3Y 6mos6MO
People making minimum wages don't pay taxes, as a matter of fact, 57% of households don't pay federal income tax at all. Never have I lived in a minimum wage household, so maybe I'm a bit naive, but raising minimum wage only makes goods and services more expensive, inflating the economy, which is not something that I want.
@Devroe 6mos6MO
I disagree with this pretty much in its entirety. I’m not sure where your statistics came from but a quick google search will tell you that the number of households who don’t pay income tax is about 40%. Also, this information doesn’t add anything to this particular discussion. I, unlike you, have lived in a minimum wage household as well as worked minimum wage jobs myself. I can assure you I paid income tax. I was able to get the majority of that refunded come tax time, but it was still income that would have served me better throughout the year versus in a lump sum at the end. Read more
@9GTCJK96mos6MO
Minimum wage jobs aren't meant for a person to live off of, and if the minimum wage was increased, big companies would fire more people and unemployment would increase.
@ISIDEWITH10yrs10Y
Yes, and make it a living wage
@9FTPJ5C 7mos7MO
Top Disagreement
they should not raise the minimum wage. If they do prices will rise and therefore it would do nothing and make a continuing cycle.
@9FYLDMH8mos8MO
A 16 year old does not need to make a living wage. Increasing pay for all minimum wage workers will just drive up the costs of everything, in turn will increase the cost of living, which will cause an increase in minimum wage, a never ending cycle.
@9GKZCH7 7mos7MO
You should not raise the minimum wage. Smaller businesses will go out of business and then we will live in corporate America. When you also raise the minimum wage then everything will go up.
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