On the compulsory minimum wage

As I am Pro, I will have the opportunity to outline the scope of this debate, which I shall do to clarify the resolution. Opening Statement/Scope of Debate -------------------------------------------- Assuming no other changes in economic policy [1], including but not limited to any changes in any tax regime or trade agreements, or labor and business policies [2], including but not limited to discrimination based on sexual orientation or religious beliefs or increased business regulation, the compulsory minimum wage (minimum wage) is essential to operating a healthy society. 1. Bargaining Power The minimum wage [3] is, at present, a necessary method of preventing employers, who often, if not always, have the advantage of bargaining power [4] [5] over their employees, from gouging their employees so that their employees are unable to obtain a living wage. Bargaining power is defined as "the capacity of one party to dominate the other due to its influence, power, size, or status, or through a combination of different persuasion tactics. " [6] An advantage in bargaining power refers to a situation where the employee has limited ability to negotiate the price for the employee's labor, due either to the dominance of the employer in the industry of the employee's training, or where the limited knowledge or mental capacity of the employee prevents the employee from being able to engage in fair negotiation, or where the financial situation of the employee would create a desperation that the employer could exploit. In any situation where such an advantage exists, it is unrelated to the value of labor relative to the net profits of production, and does not therefore "inflate" the price of goods produced, as the labor is valued by factors unrelated to the necessary operating profit margin of the employer's trade. Money is essential to survival in a capitalist society. Where the value of an employee's labor is reduced as a primary consequence of an exercised advantage in bargaining power on the employer's behalf, that employee has his or her livelihood reduced at no expense to the employer (relative to the production cost-profit dynamic) and to the employer's gain in profits, which the employer, barring a minimum wage, need not extend to the employee. The result is that the employee may end up working for less than he needs to survive, which holds consequences, as I will express below. 2. Cost of Living The minimum wage is increased (when an increase is deemed necessary) according to the estimated "cost of living. " The cost of living is defined as "the Price of goods and services required for maintaining an average level standard of living. " [7] Standard of living is defined as "Financial health of a population, as measured by per capita income and consumption of goods and services by individuals or households. " [8] What happens when this financial health is threatened? Poverty. [9] Is poverty bad? Yes. Poverty leads to social unrest, [10] which, if it becomes severe enough, leads to an increase in crime. [11] [12] This should be obvious; the more poor people you have, the more likely you'll create desperate thieves. [13] [14] Why? Because the cost of disobeying the law is no longer greater than the cost of obeying, and, similarly, the value of obeying the law is no longer as great as the value in disobeying. Moreover, thriving in one's environment (which, for humans, means wealth accumulation) is a natural survival instinct. [15] [16] If you can not exercise that instinct lawfully, you will still exercise it unlawfully. 3. Civil Unrest/High Crime Rates Results in Heavy Costs An increase in criminal activity results in high costs to the victims of criminal actions and the family members of those incarcerated for such actions, and reduces the productivity of those laborers arrested for such crimes. [17] As a consequence, assuming no other alterations, industry is actually discouraged by lowering the minimum wage. Closing Statement/Affirmation of Resolution ------------------------------------------------------- Therefore, barring the application of concurrent, effective progressive measures [18], the elimination of the minimum wage would result in rampant poverty, crime, decreased productivity, and civil unrest. The minimum wage therefore has a "positive effect," in contravention to my opponent's contention, in reducing or eliminating such concerns. The resolution is affirmed. Reservation of Arguments for a Later Period ------------------------------------------------------ I reserve the right to contend the following additional concerns in a later round that is not the fourth: (1) that the accumulation of wealth without moderate disbursement of the wealth throughout society results in civil unrest, therefore showing that the accumulation of wealth alone is not a valid reason for dispensing with the minimum wage and (2) that poverty creates health risks that also reduce productivity and which can lead to civil unrest. [1] . http://www.investorwords.com... [2] . http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com... and . http://wiki.answers.com... [3] . http://www.investorwords.com... [4] . http://william-king.www.drexel.edu... [5] . http://en.wikipedia.org... [6] . http://www.businessdictionary.com... [7] . http://www.businessdictionary.com... [8] . http://www.businessdictionary.com... [9] . http://www.seattlepi.com... [10] . http://hartford-hwp.com... [11] . http://mtbi.asu.edu... [12] . http://capaassociation.org... [13] . http://www.census.gov... [14] . http://www.fbi.gov... [15] . http://www.fool.com... [16]. http://books.google.com... [17] . http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us... [18] . http://www.forbes.com...