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Minimum Wage and the Distribution of Income

Description of the Issue

The debate regarding whether or not to increase the minimum wage has been in existence for a long time. Currently, the federal minimum wage stands at $7.25 an hour, and this has been the case for over a decade. Americans have always been advocates of the American dream. They believe that as long as one works hard, one should earn just enough money to get by. Millions of Americans today continue to work for little pay and reduced benefits in arduous jobs. The people affected by the low minimum wage work in the service sector where they serve food, deliver pizza, clean officers, stock shelves and care for the elderly and young. They work the same jobs year in and year out while still caring for their families, paying bills and saving for college, which is not easy when earning the minimum wage. Despite their best efforts, these essential low-wage workers continue to fall further behind.

Opposing sides of the Minimum Wage Debate

There are two sides to the argument where on the one hand, some people support the decision to raise the minimum wage while others oppose increasing the minimum wage. In his article Real Family Values: Raising the Federal Minimum Wage, Jack Jenkins posits that increasing the minimum wage is imperative as it would lift millions of workers from poverty and grant them an opportunity to contribute robustly to the national economy. Jenkins points out that the current minimum wage is impacting the family institutions by denying them an opportunity to spend quality time as a family. Americans value family time and minimum wage makes it impossible for them to do this. People who earn minimum wage are forced to take up two or three jobs and work even during their off days to make ends meet (Jenkins, 02). This means they earn less than $13, 000 a year, which is below the federal threshold of $19, 530 for a family that comprises three individuals. Because they cannot afford a car, they have to spend hours communing to subway locations in the city which takes away from the time they should be spending with their family at home. Jenkins also notes that increasing the minimum wage would provide an equal opportunity to contribute to the economy. This is because with the increased income they can access benefits and afford essentials like food and rent meaning that they do not have to depend on government services to make ends meet. On the other hand, the Employment Policies Institute article The Impact of a $9.80 Federal Minimum Wage opposes the decision to increase the federal minimum wage. The authors of the text posit that the series of the proposal that intends to raise minimum wage by 35% from 7.25 dollars to 9.80 dollars opines that they would poorly target the low-income families that they are meant to help (“Can Raising The Minimum Wage Reduce Poverty And Hardship? – Employment Policies Institute”, 03). According to the text, the minimum wage is a weak way of reducing poverty. The strategy limits employment opportunities for the least skilled people. Moreover, the text posits that the beneficiaries of the minimum wage would only be the young population who are 25years old or below.

Analysis of Evidence

As regards evidence, both articles employ various strategies to support their notion. Jenkins references statistics and a personal narrative from Aarin Foster, who is a single father of two daughters surviving on minimum wage in Chicago. Foster narrates how he struggles to make ends meet and provide for his daughter with a low salary. He says that he has to work 30 hours a week and work during his off days to supplement his income. As a result, he always gets home late and only spends about five minutes per day with his daughters. On the other hand, the Employees Policies Institute uses a series of proposals, including the Rebuild America Act, Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2012, and the Catching Up to 1968 Act of 2012, to conclude that increasing the minimum wage does not reduce poverty.

Evaluation of Qualification of Authors

While some authors depict bias in their texts, others are credible. Jack Jenkin’s article is plausible because he is a professional with vast experience in publishing. He was the former Senior Reporter for Religion for ThinkProgress and currently serves as a national reporter for the Religion News Service. On the other hand, the Employment Policies Institute shows signs of bias in the text. The Institute has been known to be largely fiscally conservative, which explains its position that minimum wage should not be reduced.

My Standpoint

From my standpoint, Jenkins position on increasing the minimum wage is more viable than the position presented by the Employment Policies Institute. I agree with Jenkins that the minimum wage should be raised as it would give workers a chance to pull themselves out of poverty. As long as a person is working hard, they should be able to enjoy a decent lifestyle, and they should have ample time to spend with their families and friends.

Works Cited

“Can Raising The Minimum Wage Reduce Poverty And Hardship? – Employment Policies Institute”. Employment Policies Institute, 2021, https://www.epionline.org/studies/can-raising-the-minimum-wage-reduce-poverty-and-hardship/.

Jenkins, Jack. “Real Family Values: Raising The Federal Minimum Wage”. Americanprogress.Org, 2013, https://americanprogress.org/article/real-family-values-raising-the-federal-minimum-wage/