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A raise in the minimum wage is way pass due. The cost of living has increased drastically over the last decade. The cost of education is on the rise, the cost of medical care, housing, etc. In every aspect of our life's there has been an increase, except in minimum wage. There are millions of people that are barely surviving working minimum wage jobs. It is not through lack of ambition or laziness. It is due to a variety of things. Lack of education,child care expenses,transportation problems, just to name a few. Currently, a person working a minimum wage job will have to work an average of 50 hours a week in order to maintain a home, paying utilities, auto insurance, health insurance, and food for their family. That is of course stretching their money and following a close budget.

These families are not asking for hand outs, they go to work and they try to make ends meet. One hour on their job buys a gallon of milk in the Midwest, the price being just over four dollars a gallon. Do these working people not deserve something? Do they not deserve to have the pleasure of buying their child new coat when it gets cold? Or to not have to wonder if they are going to be able to afford medicine if they become sick?
Many people feel that an increase in minimum wage would hurt the small business owners and create other financial difficulties. These are the companies that are generally not concerned about their employees, take advantage of their employees who need the money to support their families by underpaying them to do strenuous work, long hours, little or no insurance available, and sometimes if a decent insurance is available, the cost is too great for the employee to pay. Figure in taking out taxes for state, federal, social security, Medicare and possibly insurance. The minimum wage worker is actually making about three dollars an hour. That is of course, if they have one or more dependents to claim for taxes. Their net pay is substantially lower.
An increase in minimum wage would greatly help the average worker and thus, increase productivity, lower health problems, lowering the number of families living in poverty. How is it not beneficial to the United States as a whole to increase the wages of the working class?

Learn more about this author, Edyie Compton.
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