Living On Minimum Wage Should Be Hard For Many People

Living on minimum wage can be hard for many people. I have lived on minimum wage since I was sixteen years old. When I started working for seven dollars and fifty-cents an hour I was ecstatic because I had money. Then, when my parents told me that I had to start paying my bills I realized that working for a low wage was not so fun. Working was hard for me because I was not only working but also going to school and playing sports. Since I was not getting very many hours due to my busy schedule I was able to pay my bills and then had a little extra cash for whatever I thought I needed. I have lived on minimum wage for many years, but I am not a single mother living on minimum wage like many women in America. In the book Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich witnessed the struggles many of the single mothers witness every day. Ehrenreich lived like many women did for two years and she realized that living on minimum wage is nearly impossible in today’s world. Throughout Ehrenreich ’s book she showed how impossible living on the low wages was. She discusses many hard times that she went through. Ehrenreich went into her journey will a little of a background because she has written many articles about poverty. Also, Ehrenreich came from a family of the working class because her father was a copper miner and did not make much money. Ehrenreich discusses ethos, which is establishing credibility. She gives credibility by telling us, the readers about her experiences dealing with aShow MoreRelatedThe Minimum Wage Must Benefit Millions Of American Workers989 Words   |  4 Pagesafter many years of debate and firm opposition from the supreme court, the United States enacted the Fair Labor Standards Act, which set a 25 cent minimum wage, and a 40 hour work week for many professions, but nowadays, the minimum wage has fallen well behind the cost of living and fallen behind inflation. Forcing states to have minimum wages based on their cost of living, would p ut billions more dollars into the economy and significantly boost the salary of millions of people. It’s hard to talkRead MoreThe Federal Minimum Wage Law962 Words   |  4 Pagesfederal minimum wage law was signed in 1938 by President Franklin Roosevelt in order to keep people out of poverty and increase consumer purchasing power. This has done the opposite by hurting businesses and reducing employment, while minimum wages go up, so will the costs of living. Most of the people working for minimum wage are 16 between 24 years old, 37% of workers are going to school working part time. Enrollment tuition has increased over the years, and raising the minimum wage could meanRead MoreThe Death Of Horatio Alger1652 Words   |  7 Pageshas always been a problem. The gap between the rich and the poor is growing wider and wider because wealth grows faster than the economy according to Thomas Piketty, and people are not able to move up through economic classes according to Paul Krugman. Economic inequality is a problem that can be overcome with raise the minimum wage, expand welf are benefits, and provide higher education. In his TED talk, Piketty forms a simple formula explaining the economic inequality, which is r g. This means theRead MorePersuasive Essay On Minimum Wage1526 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum wage is defined by the dictionary as â€Å"the lowest wage paid or permitted to be paid; specifically: a wage fixed by legal authority or by contract as the least that may be paid either to employed persons generally or to a particular category of employed persons.† Minimum wage is also referred to as the living wage. For many in and out of the political arena, minimum wage, is a topic of debate. The discussion involves the fairness of the current wage and the need to raise this wage to correlateRead MoreThe Minimum Wage Is Important And Hot Topic Throughout The World Essay1332 Words   |  6 PagesMinimum wage is an important and hot topic throughout the world, especially America. The minimum wage is the lowest amount of salary that an employer can give to their employees for their work. The federal minimum wage is covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act, also known as FLSA. The FLSA covers standards for government, local, and state employees, including overtime pay and record keeping. This protects the rights of the employers. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, FDR, was the first president toRead MoreThe Debate of Increasing Miniumum Wage713 Words   |  3 Pagesdecades, the minimum wage has been on going topic that the economists and the policy makers has been debating on. Indeed, It is still an open issue and the policy makers still debating on increasing it. The first Country that passed the minimum wage policy was New Zealand in 1984, and a lot country followed. President Roosevelt passed the first minimum wage in 1938, the minimum wage was 0.25 when the Roosevelt passed, and it has been increased as the living expense went up. The minimum wage is measuredRead MoreThe Effects Of Minimum Wage On The Economy1391 Words   |  6 PagesThe Effects Minimum Wage on the Economy The controversial topic about increasing minimum wage is debated countless times over the years. Minimum wage is the lowest wage an employer can pay an employee permitted by law. The contemporary federal minimum wage is $7.25. Minimum wage applies to all domestic workers but teenagers are the main receivers of minimum wage. Minimum wage has a major effect on the economy. The question is are the effects positive or negative. There are many arguments on whetherRead MoreBenefits Of Working For Minimum Wage907 Words   |  4 Pagesemploye’s hourly wages based on a minimum wage. Today in America we have many hard workers who are working for minimum wage which consists of $7.25 per hour. There is some businesses that believe all employees should be paid at minimum wage while other businesses pay well over minimum wage. Skills, attitude, responsibility and work ethic all affect how employers base employees hourly wage. When looking at the economy the government should not incre ase mnimum wages, there are many factors that affectRead MoreMinimum Wage Should Be Raised935 Words   |  4 PagesMinimum wage is an ongoing debate in the United States. There are some people who think that it should be raised to a higher rate and others who think that it should not. There are many different pros and cons with raising minimum wage. Minimum wage is at a balanced rate that should not be raised due to lack of skill, low education, and economic problems. Jobs that require minimum wage are created for young adults who are in college or high school. They are to help one get one on their feet so thatRead MoreBarbara Ehrenreich s Nickel And Dimed1600 Words   |  7 Pagesimplications of poverty in our society is crucial to understanding when looking through a social development lense. There are many ideological political routes to take to help mitigate or resolve the poverty issues within the country, which can be looked at through social policies and social development. Ehrenreich provides a qualitative research analysis into the life of those living in poverty through a covert field research perspective. The welfare state has always been a controversial topic within Canada