Saturday, December 28, 2019

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. 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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

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