Minimum Wage and the American Dream - 1258 Words

Living in a nice home, a good neighborhood, and having nice cars is what most people think of as part of the American Dream. How are you supposed to get there though? Unless youre going to win the lottery you’re going to have to work in some form. Achieving the American Dream while earning minimum wage may take a person longer but it is still attainable. Through higher education or hard work individuals can achieve a higher standard of living. What is minimum wage? Minimum wage is the lowest hourly rate (dollars per hour) that employers can pay their employees. According to minimumwage.com Minnesota’s minnimum wage is $7.25 per hour but will be getting raised to $9.00 per hour. Minnesota’s minimum wage is a common rate among many†¦show more content†¦Other states that have recently voted on raising minimum wage include Washington ($9.32), Oregon ($9.10), California ($9.00), and Colorado ($8.00) according to usatoday.com. These states are raising the mi nimum wage in a similar way as Minnesota in the way of raising it over the next couple years. These states are already in the top 25 for highest unemployment rates according to http://en.wikipedia.org/. Raising minimum wage is going to negatively affect this because states will have to fire more people to try and compensate for the pay increase. In a recent speech from President Obama he said he would like to see minimum wage be increased to $10.10 an hour by the end of his term as president in 2017. This increase would be a federal increase in which every state would have to follow and pay their workers a minimum of $10.10 an hour. This pay increase is meant to help people with lower paying jobs such as janitors, elderly, cooks, and anyone else you makes minimum wage. This will be very hard for many companies to achieve and will make them either go out of business or have to cut workers to make up the difference. Although many workers were affected negatively by the recession, most workers who lost jobs were blue collar workers and laborers. When the building boom occurred a few years prior to the recession many workers were living large. However, few saved and many continued to spend and did not have a securityShow MoreRelatedMinimum Wage1535 Words   |  7 Pagesstandard minimum wage level has been a controversy over its insufficient wages set for working class Americans. The minimum wage was established to protect unskilled workers from being exploited by employers’ low pay. Introducing the minimum wage provided stabilization in the workplace, but as the cost of living increases, working Americans are demanding a livable wage. In the recent past, the American dream fadedness changed the way Americans view the economy. For many wageworkers, the American dreamRead MoreThe American Dream1344 Words   |  6 PagesIs the American Dream Still Alive? Being equal means that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed, it doesnt mean that all Americans have the same things. Some people will work much harder to succeed, those people have more than people who dont want to work to succeed. The American Dream is that every United States citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, initiative, and happiness. But many wonder if it is still alive todayRead MoreThe American Dream Is Still Alive Today1078 Words   |  5 Pagesto work to succeed.The American Dream is that every United States citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, initiative, and happiness. But many wonder if it is still alive today. Many studies have proven that the American dream is still alive today. The American Dream still exists because the unemployment ratio has decreased , the salary for the jobs has increased, and people have freed om. The American Dream is achieved by sacrificeRead More Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller1344 Words   |  6 PagesSince the beginning of the Industrial Age, Americans have idealized the journey towards economic success. One thing people do not realize, however, is that journey is not the same for every individual. Media often leads its viewers toward a â€Å"one size fits all† version of success that may help themselves, but will rarely help the viewers. This is seen in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Miller includes multiple instances of symbolism and personification to reveal to the reader the situationalRead MoreHow Americans Are Not Getting What They Came For America?1015 Words   |  5 Pagesothers would call it the American dream. The idea that one can take nothing and turn it into something beautiful and new is at the root of our civilization. Though in the past half a century, America and its economy has drastically changed, as options for the poor have been taken away, and their ability to become successful has been stripped away by cooperations. This topic has been examined by articles such as Crumbling American Dreams, The Pernicious Economic Trap of Low Wages, and the book NickelRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald937 Words   |  4 PagesFitzgerald uses the character of Jay Gatsby to explain his idea of the American dream. His depiction had a lot to do with â€Å"rags to riches†. Jay Gatsby starts without much money but through bootlegging he is able to get an incredible amount of wealth. The American dream is about achieving your goals through hard work and determination in this world of the Great Gatsby. Does this sentiment still hold true? The economy is different today than it was in the 1920s. According to the Economic HistoryRead MoreThe Minimum Wage Of 22 Swiss Francs1219 Words   |  5 Pages In May of 2014, Switzerland rejected the world’s highest minimum wage of 22 Swiss francs, which in American dollars, is roughly $25 per hour. Even Switzerland, one of the more famous countries remaining on the gold standard, has a problem regarding their minimum wage. As a high school student working off of American minimum wage, Switzerland’s presented amount is considered lofty and idealistic. In America, the minimum wage is $7.25, not nearly enough for an adult, let alone a teenanger living atRead MoreLiving Off Of Minimum Wage1490 Words   |  6 Pages Living off of Minimum Wage in the United States In Barbara Ehrenreich’s documentary novel, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America (2001), she claimed that it is almost impossible to live off of minimum wage in the united states. She supports her claim by writing a documentary novel explaining the details of the life of the American struggles caused by the minimum wage. Through her book, she supports that minimum wage salary is insufficient means of survival and leads to a difficult lifeRead MoreMinimum Wage And The Wage1176 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream is that all citizens can fulfill their potential through hard work and perseverance. Many Americans work long hours under the belief that they are fulfilling their social contract. Yet, even lengthy work weeks at minimum wage can be insufficient to provide for life’s necessities. Many minimum wage workers must supplement their income with taxpayer-funded federal assistance programs in addition to working beyond the standard 40 hour work week. Ther e is an economical and ethicalRead MoreWho Is The American Dream?1326 Words   |  6 Pagesachieve success and certainly no way to achieve the American Dream. Critical to ensuring any chance of achieving the â€Å"American Dream† in this day and age is to obtain a college education. Although it is possible to attain without attending college, it is extremely unlikely. For those with an education, the dream still at least has a pulse. For the majority of people who either do not think they need an education or cannot afford one, the dream probably lost. Adults are often saying â€Å"when I was a