Minimum Wage Should Not Be Raised

For one, much of your argument is copied directly or altered in some way from your first source. This can be deemed plagiarism. Nonetheless, allow me to continue on with my rebuttal. Stating that 600 economists agree will be analogous to global warming. Few scientists state that it is not real, and many state that it is real and man made. You see, when minimum wage is increased by any percentage, that not only kills job growth in the working class sector, but it also makes it awfully hard for an American company to compete with, let's say, a Chinese company. China has very little regulation on business, which is why they are now becoming the world's best economy. Our GDP growth has actually halted, and it is now going down. Jobs have already been leaving as China devalues their currency and we don't. It is very difficult to set a fair national minimum wage. "For example, if Des Moines, Iowa, had a minimum wage of $10.10, that would only equal a $4.12 per hour rate when measured by the real costs of working and living in New York City. On the other hand, it would take $24.77 to equal the Des Moines rate." [1] A study that came out a couple of years ago showed that over 60% of the people in poverty do not work at all. The ones that do work, however, do not work full-time. If you increased minimum wage, it would be exceptionally difficult for any man or woman living in poverty to find a job under any circumstances. Higher wages will kill wage competition, which is a big part of business. Ideally, if one business pays more then the other, those will flock to that one business. Like I have stated previously, a raise in minimum wage would destroy jobs throughout. Minimum wage was created for teenagers and college students that were looking to make some money on the side. It was no means meant for adults with families. If you are stupid and lazy and are working at McDonalds, that is primarily your fault; but, I digress. Not only will it hurt jobs, but it is a direct government legislation of the freedom of contract. "He argues that if even the most basic of jobs were able to support individuals without any additional effort or improvement, there would be no incentives for many to endure the effort to rise above their position. In other words, the low compensation should serve as an incentive to progress and a disincentive to accept the status quo." [1] The higher prices that come with a minimum wage increase hurt the lower classes tremendously. Prices have doubled in cities across the nation, including Chicago, as their minimum wage increased. Minimum wage is regional. If you have lots of poverty in one city and many minimum wage jobs, then maybe it would be smart to raise it. But on a federal level, you would effectively be legislating dozens of millions of jobs that do not need unnecessary legislative action. A federal minimum wage of $10.10 would destroy over 500,000 jobs; a federal minimum wage of $10.10 would effectively force most local businesses out of business and would force almost every single industrial sector job into a different nation, such as China. Also, I just do not see that 10 or even 15 dollars is a deserving compensation for someone loading groceries or flipping burgers and taking orders. If everything is guaranteed by the government and then given to you, there will be no need to improve. Additionally, let me add that some college jobs make $13 an hour as starting salary. If minimum wage is increased, you would have to bump every single job in total to compensate as a form of competition as well as price increases. I would certainly not go to college to make $13 an hour when I could be making 15 without any education. It would make college almost useless, because if you can live with a certain wage, you will be content with that wage. Sources [1]http://www.republicanreader.com... [2]http://www.forbes.com... [3]http://www.valuesandcapitalism.com...