Summary:
Tanya Harrell, lives in Louisiana off of minimum wage. In Louisiana, they use the federal wage which is $7.25 an hour. She paid just a little above this at $8 an hour to work at McDonald's. She says, ""I'm mostly supporting [my 3-year-old] child. I will work myself more than I am supposed to be worked, and I stress a little bit more when I can't, you know, help myself a little bit more. And I'm always helping others. I have a grandmother that I have to take care of, and when she can't get her medicine, I help her. And I can't even afford to take care of my two little sisters that are in foster care. And that's, like, the main reason of why I work so hard ... I'm not going to say I like it. At the moment it's not the best that I can do. But at the moment it's just that I have to — not settle for it — but I have to deal with certain things. ... The first thing I'm going to do is go back to school. When I finish that, it's like I could defeat any test that comes my way." These are the people we must help. These people can't support a family on minimum wage.
There have been many questions on what step to take with minimum wage, and why we should take that certain step. Critics of increasing minimum wage state how there would be a decrease in the amount of jobs, and an increase in crime rate. So, "Anyone who thinks the minimum wage shouldn't be raised should try living on it,." said Phillip Rubin, CEO of Computer Software for Professionals. He truly makes a good point. National business leaders and small business owners in states where workers are getting a raise, say the increase will boost consumer buying power and promote economic recovery.
Minimum wage is the lowest payment that employers can legally pay their workers. The current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is too low for anyone to live on. Raising the minimum wage would increase economic activity and spur job growth. Over time, minimum wages came to be seen as a way to help lower-income families. So, increasing it would be the only logical thing to make it better for those struggling families, and even help the U.S. economy as a whole.
The step towards minimum wage will lead to a new age of the workplace. Minimum wage will provide a a low hourly rate to those in the workplace. Minimum wage, according to Alison Doyle, “Proponents of an increase in the rate say that the minimum wage has not kept up with inflation and that many minimum wage workers are impoverished.” Minimum wage will provide, if increased, will help many of those with or without a job.