let it be resolved that the minimum wage should be abolished

I would like to begin by thanking my opponent for raising a interesting topic for debate, and his contribution. My opponent has highlighted some of the negative effects that the minimum wage may leave in it's trail. But may I remind the audience, my opponent calls for the minimum wage to be abolished, based solely on the debate of the negative impact the minimum wage may cause. So I will attempt to persuade the audience to consider if the negatives presented by my opponent, outweigh the positive effects I will here forth present. If we can conclude that there are indeed positive impacts which counter the negative impacts, I will call on the audience to vote Con in this debate, and find the resolution to have the minimum wage kept in force by governments and not abolished. First I will start by saying that the minimum wage is a fair way for employees to be treated by employers, it forces employers to pay an absolute minimum wage to it's employees, and avoids exploitation of the needy and vulnerable, who are the most likely to accept a job at a minimum wage. In fact, I present a extract from a speech made by President Barack Obama, only this month, stating. State of the union address 2013 " full text The full text of Barack Obama's 2013 state of the union address as prepared for delivery Tonight, let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour. This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families. It could mean the difference between groceries or the food bank; rent or eviction; scraping by or finally getting ahead. For businesses across the country, it would mean customers with more money in their pockets. In fact, working folks shouldn't have to wait year after year for the minimum wage to go up while CEO pay has never been higher. So here's an idea that Governor Romney and I actually agreed on last year: let's tie the minimum wage to the cost of living, so that it finally becomes a wage you can live on. President Barack Obama http://www.guardian.co.uk... As you can see, above in the presidents speech, there are many positives to be gotten from enforcing the minimum wage, it could even make the difference of putting groceries on the table or paying rent, and Obama even claims that it's one idea that even his opposition would agree on, to tie the minimum wage to the cost of living. More benefits that can be gotten from the minimum wage are, Helps Families The Economic Policy Institute is an economic research group located in Washington, D.C., and it concluded in a 1999 study that nearly 40 percent of the minimum wage earners in the United States are working parents. To go even further, nearly 33 percent of the minimum wage earners are married couple raising children. Without a minimum wage, these workers may be forced to work for less money. Reduces Tax Burden A person making at least minimum wage is not using as many public services as someone on unemployment, according to economics expert Professor Brock Haussamen. An unemployed worker is given welfare, rent assistance and food stamps in many states. With minimum wage, the need for public assistance is lowered and this reduces the tax burden on the community and the state. Employment Incentive A minimum wage gives an unemployed person incentive to take a job because he knows what his minimum pay will be, according to economics website Economics Help. An unemployed person can compare the money he gets from public assistance and compare it to the minimum wage to determine the financial incentive to taking a job. Business Budgets Without a minimum wage, it can be difficult for small businesses to budget their money. With a minimum wage in place, a small business owner knows what he will be expected to pay per hour and he can create new jobs with his company based on this budgeting information. Common Reference The minimum wage makes the hiring process easier for young or unskilled workers and employers. The worker knows upfront what kind of wage she can expect, and the employer does not have to go through the process of negotiating a wage with a new employee. All of the above is from this source. http://smallbusiness.chron.com... Also this from another source..... ADVANTAGES OF THE MINIMUM WAGE - Fair for workers to be paid a minimum wage. - Helps low earners gain a higher standard of living - Extra disposable income should lead to extra spending in the economy - Helps increase the gap between wages for low earners and unemployment benefit - May help reduce unemployment DISADVANTAGES OF THE MINIMUM WAGE - Increases the cost to businesses -Businesses may increase their prices (cost push inflation) - Businesses may be unable to afford to employ as many workers - Could cause unemployment - Other workers may now ask for a pay rise - Doesn"t help the unemployed who don"t receive a wage I will end by thanking my opponent again for such an interesting topic, that I never had thought of the negatives involved in paying people a minimum wage, however even after a more in-depth view myself into the topic, I am still against the minimum wage being abolished, and urge my voters to consider the same. Thank you very much.