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Pro Minimum Wage Essay

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In the United States there exists a growing income gap between the wealthy and the poor. Generally, about every four years or so an argument over what to do about this gap arises and many prominent personalities present their solutions to this issue. The minimum wage has been presented as a viable option in solving this issue of poverty that allegedly plagues the nation. The first federal wage regulations were passed under FDR in the 1930s, and many states already had their own wage regulations in place. Recently, there has been a growing movement for a substantial increase in the federal minimum wage. Many large cities and several states have increased their minimum wage or have begun working towards a higher minimum wage over the next several …show more content…
The Democratic Party advocates an increased minimum wage to assist many Americans living in poverty. Supporters of this idea include presidential hopefuls Senator Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. It also includes many well-known economists such as Robert Pollin, Doug Hall, David Cooper, David Card, or Alan Krueger. Their argument is that the minimum wage should be increased towards a living wage for those in the low-income bracket. They claim that not only would it bring people out of poverty, but also distribute money back into the economy. On the side of opposition to the minimum wage there are multiple avenues of attack. The opposition claims that there are many negative effects of the minimum wage such as job loss, higher prices, and discrimination. Some opposes to minimum wage would call for a decreased or maintained minimum wage while some would advocate a complete abolition of the minimum wage. Contributors to the opposition include Richard Freeman, Mark Wilson, David Neumark, Milton Friedman, and many prominent think-tanks and research groups such as the CATO Institute, Foundation for Economic Freedom, or the Mises Institute. The minimum wage should be completely abolished because not only does it have little effect on solving the issue of poverty, but for the simple fact that the government should not be involved in business at

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