2006-10-24 09:51:48 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Other - Politics & Government
pros: it helps people that are only making minimum wage earn more money
cons: it will make the price of everything go up so minimum wage will have to go up again, many people will be fired to compensate the salaries of the people that businesses keep, unemployment will go up, people with non-minimum wage jobs but still low paying jobs will suffer (because prices will go up but their wages will not).
2006-10-24 09:58:58 · answer #1 · answered by Jen S 2 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Con: it is not the job of government to operate private enterprise.
Con: depending on how it is raised it can have a negative impact on the economy
Con: it causes inflation and higher cost of living
Con: it increases the number of people living in poverty
Con: it doesn't grant automatic raises to people who are making above the minimum wage, which tends to be people supporting a family, but it does reduce wage increases for two or more years after the increase.
Pro: the economy is doing so well it would probably absorb a moderate minimum wage increase (25% to 30% over two years) without many adverse effects.
2006-10-24 10:11:00 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Minimum wage in itself is a big con for taking away from the free market. Companies should be able to pay whatever they can find people to work for and not be subjected to a minimum amount they need to pay. Of course this is all the fault of the welfare system which acts as an alternative to working minimum wage jobs. So to keep people from taking handouts that the government provides, the government has forced corporations to offer a more lucrative alternative.
That being said, you could go on and on here about this for a long time. This is an enormous debate.
2006-10-24 10:07:28 · answer #3 · answered by Gimp 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pros- people make more money per hour and get to pay more taxes. usually when minimum wage is increased other wages go up that amount. More taxes. Cons- Besides paying more taxes they may loose benefits from govt. they are now getting. Also they may loose their jobs because the employer cannot pay higher wages and higher taxes. Unfortunately some people are not physically or mentally able to be worth a higher wage and employers will have to let them go. One % of workers make minimum wage.
2006-10-24 10:06:14 · answer #4 · answered by rallman@sbcglobal.net 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hannah, you got some very good answers, and I hope you think about what they have said and do some research.
If the minimum wage goes up, businesses will raise their prices to accomodate paying their employees the increase. that means higher costs for everything for all of us... so the minimum wage increase won't make ANY difference in "getting ahead" when everything else goes up. I haven't had a raise in five years, and I'm not bitching about it. If people learned to manage their money, they would be able to live. but we live in a world of "wants" and not "needs".
My dad is a business owner. He owns a car wash in a small town and doesn't make much money himself, my mom still works a full time job as well. However, they live in California, which is outrageous for cost of living.
If his minimum wage increased, he would have to raise the prices of car washes in order to compensate or he would probably lose money himself. You know what I mean?
In the overall scheme of things, it is not a good idea. I see the people's points that want to make more money, but hey, how about go to college and get a degree, and a better job?
2006-10-24 14:19:03 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I believe that raising the minimum wage is important the cost of living has risen but not our wages. There are too many working class poor and it is not fair. The only con I could possibly see is cheap employers not hiring more employees because they don't want to pay the new wage. This is the richest land in the world but still we have so many people struggling to make ends meet. And by the way I am one of them.
2006-10-24 11:50:07 · answer #6 · answered by lizzy tee 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The pros all have to do with political advantage, the cons? Why would a bunch of bloated, ne'er do wells in congress even want to tell business what to pay their workers?
When they raise the min. wage, they price a lot of workers out of a job. Some businesses can't justify automation when the min. wage is low, but when it is artifically raised, then automating people out of jobs becomes the best alternative.
Businesses do not exist to employ people, they exist to produce something and make enough profit to grow.
2006-10-24 10:24:49 · answer #7 · answered by Curt 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A civilised society values work and believes that it should be properly renumerated.
The main benefit, then, of a minimum wage is that it would increase the respect people felt for their jobs, and make it possible for employers and the public to expect higher standards of work.
It must be said that the minimum wage is curently very low ideed.
2006-10-24 10:33:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
When the minimum wage is raised, it costs thousands and thousands of jobs.
Inflation and everything goes up, so the same people are still right down at the bottom.
(Only there are less of them.)
Their buying power does not increase.
2006-10-24 09:58:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The smallest of businesses might have difficulties if the Minimum wage was too high. It could put some out of business.
2006-10-24 09:53:53 · answer #10 · answered by biggimpin 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋