What the other side might say...

 

Some might say that increasing the minimum wage might hurt the middle class, however that is not necessarily the case. Research indicates that increasing the minimum wage reduces the income inequality between the middle class and lower income families. It also shows that increasing the minimum wage does not have an impact on the middle class families at all. Increasing the minimum wage actually benefits the middle class.

   According to Oren M. Levin-Waldman, the author of How Raising the Minimum Wage Would Boost the Middle Class,  "Higher pay at the bottom of the scale ripples upward, improving purchasing power for everybody" (Waldman). This means that if wages are increased the lower income workers will improve the purchasing power for middle class workers as well.  Also the reason that income inequality has been increasing lately and the middle class has been shrinking is because of wages that remain stagnant. According to Waldman," increasing the minimum wage would go far toward reversing that trend (Waldman).  This means that increasing the minimum wage decreases income inequality and if the minimum wage is not increased the gap between the lower and middle class increases. The other side might also say that increasing the minimum wage will result in job losses for newly hired and unskilled workers. However, this is not accurate because minimum wage increases have little to no negative effect on employment because there have been studies done by more than 600 economists, including seven Nobel prize winners that show that the employment levels stay the same regardless of whether the minimum wage is increased or not. There has also been some academic research that shows that higher wages sharply reduce employee turnover which can reduce employment and training costs.

  The opposing side of this argument might also say that that increasing the minimum wage will cause people to lose their jobs. This is also not correct because research has been conducted by economists that suggests that a minimum wage increase could have a small stimulative effect on the economy. The reason for this is that as low- wage workers spend their additional earnings, they raise demand and job growth, and provide help in developing more jobs. Another argument that a person who is against raising the minimum wage might say is that increasing the minimum wage is bad for the economy. This opposing argument is also not correct because since 1938, the federal minimum wage has been increased 22 times and for more than 75 years the real GDP per capita has steadily increased, even when the minimum wage had been raised. These facts indicate that the increasing the minimum wage does not necessarily hurt the economy. This is the reason why the minimum should be increased to $15 per hour by 2019.

Works Cited:

Levin-Waldman, Oren M. How Raising the Minimum Wage Would Boost the Middle Class13 Feb. 2014, www.governing.com/gov-institute/voices/col-raising-minimum-wage-boost-middle-class.html. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016

Minimum Wage Mythbusters , United Sates Department Of Labor, https://www.dol.gov/featured/minimum-wage/mythbuster. Accessed 10 Nov. 2016.