What do you believe the federal minimum wage should be? Be sure to take a sociological perspective and reference the concept of living wage while crafting a 3-page argument.
Background
Information:
On January 14, 2021, as President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion
coronavirus aid package, he urged Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to
$15 per hour, a number still below the cost of living for many Americans.
“Florida
just passed it, as divided as that state is, they just passed it,” he said,
“The rest of the
country is ready to move as well.” Indeed, the proposal has bipartisan support,
since
as far back as July 27, 2016 Donald Trump chimed in, “The minimum wage has to
go
up…But I think…that states should really call the shot…At the same time,
people
have to be taken care of.” Despite declarations from both political sides, the
federal
minimum wage has remained stagnant at $7.25 since July 24th, 2009.
Proponents contend that the current minimum wage fails to meet the
requirements to have a basic quality of life and leaves families reliant on
government programs for additional income. Instead, they call for the
institution of
a living wage, or the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their needs
that are considered to be basic with respect to geographic location. They argue
that
with a living wage an individual can take pride in their work and enjoy the
decency
of a life beyond the ditch of poverty wages. Since a living wage is a complete
consideration of the cost of living in an area, it fluctuates according to
where you
live and the size of your family [you can find a living wage calculator at
http://livingwage.mit.edu/ ].
Opponents say a higher minimum wage will hurt jobs. Their argument is that
employers will hire fewer people or reduce their hours to maintain lower
operating
costs. They may compensate for the extra expense in other ways that can hurt
consumers, such as by raising prices. Instead, many argue that wages should be
dictated by the free market, whatever a worker is worth, rather than by any
government-imposed limits.
Grading Rubric Used in this Assignment
Quality of writing and argument: 30 points
– Proper 3pg length: 10
– No contractions/casual grammar: 10
– Clarity of argument, remaining on topic: 10
Use of properly cited material to support the argument: 30 points
– Living wage definition and discussion: 10
– Argument based on cited evidence, in-text citations: 10
– Works Cited page with complete sources: 10
Spelling and grammar: 15 points
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