Hot topics in America right now are work ethics in regard to minimum wage versus the cost of living, stereotypes as a form of racism, and the constitutional right of Christians to operate business according to their faith. For many Americans, navigating a broken economy is troublesome. Stereotypes make that economic situation worse by deceiving the American people with negative statements that generate false truths about certain segments of the population. Add all this to the fact that Christian businesses are under attack, and you have a nation in turmoil. This country needs a transformation in order for people to live a better life. If I had the power to change the world, I would focus on work ethics of the economy, freedom of religion in …show more content…
business as it relates to our Constitution and laws, and helping people understand that stereotypes are also a form of racism. In American, we have four states with low wages: Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota, and Wyoming.
These states maintain minimum wage levels that are lower than the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. (Paul Ausick, 24/7 Wall St May 9, 2014) They are not meeting the federal guidelines in America. I would alter it so that all states met the minimum, even the states without a sate minimum, like Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. They need to have a minimum wage that aligns with the cost of living in that state. We need only follow the example of states with higher minimum wages. America is one of the richest countries in the world, but there are poorer countries with better wages for workers. The jobs in America with chronically low wages are fast food cooks, cashiers, hostesses, and home care aides. With part-time hourly rates ranging from 8.71- 9.80, fast food cooks and cashiers scrape the bottom of the barrel. Hostesses and home care aides aren’t much better off, and all live below the poverty line. The effects of families living below the poverty affect everything from health to housing to education. There is a better solution and hope these people. Australia’s minimum wage is $16 an hour. (Nick Sorrentiono, Sep. 8, 2014) There is more emphasis on quality of life for children and elderly who are affected the most. In comparison to a 20-25% poverty rate in America, Australia only has 10-15%. (Fisher, April 15, …show more content…
2013) It is also the people who live below the poverty line who get stereotyped the most. African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics are frequently victims of stereotyping. Living in poverty makes them easy targets, but for most poverty isn’t a choice. Stereotyping is racism if you believe it applies to all members of that race. We can combat stereotyping by leading by example and measuring each person as an individual. Some ways various races are stereotyped include work ethics, food choices, level of education and intelligence. People of faith are also stereotyped, Christians in particular. Recently, Muslims have received their fair share of stereotyping in light of terrorist attacks and other violent events. I would seek to transform the minds of the people and let them know that it is good to live, let live, and think before taking action. It all boils to freedom, so stop labeling and be happy. For Christians, being happy hinges greatly on religious freedom. The Constitution provides for and protects our religious freedoms. The First Amendment guarantees it to the Constitution. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (Constitution) In the news, Christian business practices are being called out for what the government deems as discrimination. Hobby Lobby is fighting for the right not to have to pay for the birth control and abortions covered under the new healthcare system. A bakery called Sweet Cakes was sued by the LBGT community for discrimination against same sex couples when they refused to create a wedding cake for a gay couple. At what point do we draw the line between religious freedom and discrimination? These are changes I would address. The power to change the world is more about the people than the issues.
Minimum wage creates minimal lives, but a few dollars an hour can change the world of a child for the better. Perception has a way of distorting reality, and stereotypes hold the reigns. There is a game of tug-o-war going between religious groups and community groups, with the government caught in the middle. Those in poverty are trapped by their financial circumstance. Victims of stereotyping are trapped by false truths. Christians are trapped in a secular world. What we need is the freedom our forefathers wrote about in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable right, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” (Declaration of Independence) If I had the power to change the world, my goal would be to bring this important document alive in the lives of the American
people. Reference: Sorrentiono, Nick Sep 8, 2014 Declaration of Independence Ausick Paul, Wall St. May 9, 2014
Imagine a world where you are working overtime, seven days a week, yet your kids are starving. You can’t get the education you need because you don’t have the time and money to afford it, and you can’t change jobs because this is the only one you can get. Unfortunately, this is the reality for millions of Americans living today. The federal minimum wage is too low to help families, and actually mathematically speaking, too low to survive on. The quality of life for minimum wage families is terribly low, and that is unacceptable. As humans, we should be looking after others and helping the poverty come out of their continuous cycle. Raising the minimum wage would not only help families be able to afford a better quality of life, but help them to afford healthy food, get an adequate education, and invest in the necessary health care they need.
The minimum wage was, as it should be, a living wage, for working men and women ... who are attempting to provide for their families, feed and clothe their children, heat their homes, [and] pay their mortgages. The cost-of-living inflation adjustment since 1981 would put the minimum wage at $4.79 today, instead of the $4.25 it will reach on April 1, 1991. That is a measure of how far we have failed the test of fairness to the working poor.” (Burkhauser 1)
In summary, there is one thing that people need to survive in today’s society: money. Making more legal money means that people are less likely to turn to crime for survival, more people are spending more money, and people are living the way they deserve to. Minimum wage needs to be raised to meet the people’s needs.
Imagine working under poor conditions for over 40 hours a week to afford basic human necessities only to remain nothing more than a cog in a corporal machine seen unworthy of livable wages. While this may seem unrealistic, it proves as reality for many lower class Americans. Minimum wage has seen a drastic decline in relation to the inflation of living costs, an issue addressed in Lew Prince’s, “The American Dream Needs a Fair Minimum Wage”. In the article, Prince, a business owner, states, “... in 1979, the minimum wage was $2.90 -- that would be $9.50, adjusted for inflation in 2014 dollars”. Even with this information, many americans above the poverty level line argue against an increase in wages. Although opinions often
A lot of the states didn’t even have over 8 dollars for minimum wage. An awful lot of 7 dollars and some change. An only whopping six states have an 8 dollar minimum wage, Illinois being one of the six states. Showing this graph people can actually see how little the pay is. A lot of people are probably wondering “How could you attain the American Dream only getting paid 7 dollars an hour and only getting 30 hours per week?”. That is very true, how could people attain the American Dream with minimum wage? There’s no correct answer for this question but the only answer there is right now is just work hard and create your own dream to
Currently, in the United States, the federal minimum wage has been $7.25 for the past six years; however, in 1938 when it first became a law, it was only $0.25. In the United States the federal minimum wage has been raised 22 times since 1938 by a significant amount due to changes in the economy. Minimum wage was created to help America in poverty and consumer power purchasing, but studies have shown that minimum wage increases do not reduce poverty. By increasing the minimum wage, it “will lift some families out of poverty, while other low-skilled workers may lose their jobs, which reduces their income and drops their families into poverty” (Wilson 4). When increasing minimum wage low-skilled, workers living in poor families,
The general consensus among American citizens is that the retail industry as one of the worst jobs a person can take, just short of fast food and any job that is janitorial. There are many reasons behind this stigma that affects people both in and out of the retail industry. The perspective of the customer will always differ from that of the retail worker, with the exception of those who have worked or currently work in retail. However, just because the perspective is different, the level of respect has no reason to shift.
Poverty continues to grow in America. The average minimum wage in the United States is $7.35 an hour- far too low in today’s society. Key expenses, for example, gas and housing prices, have gone up significantly since the minimum wage was last changed in 2007 (Wagner 52). The laws creating the minimum wage were intended to improve the standard of living and decrease poverty. Raising minimum wage is a vital step in decreasing poverty and giving every family the opportunity to survive and succeed. Millions of hard-working Americans are below the poverty line and need an increase in pay. Minimum wage must be raised because it will diminish poverty and assist the working class to support their families.
What is minimum wage? Minimum wage is the lowest hourly rate (dollars per hour) that employers can pay their employees. According to minimumwage.com Minnesota’s minnimum wage is $7.25 per hour but will be getting raised to $9.00 per hour. Minnesota’s minimum wage is a common rate among many states such as Texas, South Dakota, and Iowa. Oregon and Washington are states that currently have their minimum wage rate set at or above $9.00 per hour. For both of these states, raising minimum wage has not necessarily decreased the poverty line. Both Oregon and Washington are still among the top 20 states for high poverty rates while New Hampshire has the lowest poverty rate and also has minimum wage set at $7.25 per hour.
Its well-known that minimum wage can easy vary from state to state city to city and even county to county. Furthermore each minimum wage law in each state/city or county has their own set of guidelines. The disparity of minimum wages within state lines is very diverse. For example the state of California has a state minimum wage of $8.00, while in Richmond, California the minimum wage $12.30 has recently been approved (www.foxnews.com). This is the highest among any state city or county and $2.00 above San Francisco’s $10.30 minimum wage (www.foxnews.com). For Richmond, California this makes sense becaus...
The minimum wage today has a lot of issues; some people say it is not enough to live comfortably. Many agree that there needs to be an increase in minimum wages and by doing that it can help with our issues of poverty. Statistics show that a worker who is full time and earning minimum wage makes only $15,080 a year, which is under the federal poverty line for a family of two. (Gitis, 2013) The problem with that is $15,080 is not a sufficient amount that a person can live and grow on. “A family of two can consist of a mother and son or daughter, father and son or ...
"Americans overwhelmingly agree that no one who works full time should ever have to raise a family in poverty... so join the rest of the country. say yes. give America a raise" (President Barack Obama 2014). This quote depicts that not a single human being that works hard at their job should ever have to be poor. This idea among many was part of President Barack Obama's state of the Union Address for 2014, promoting while seeking, a year of change to all American citizens. As a citizen of the United States, one knows the economic hardships and unemployment rates increasing. There needs to be a stop to these inclines, especially towards the poor and those becoming more educated with college. This is why I, for one agree with President Obama on raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. Raising the minimum wage slightly from $8.25 to $10.10 (only $1.85 increase) will have a huge impact on Americans today and even future Americans. Increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour will aid millions researchers say, through the economic values of food prices, small businesses unemployment rates, college students coping with college debt, and the poor living in a state of poverty.
Today the federal minimum wage is $5.15, but should be about $8.50 if Congress had adjusted it for inflation over the past 35 years. While $5.15 may not seen that bad, when factoring in such variables as sky rocketing gas prices, budgets can get pretty tight. David Shepard, a sophomore at Wayne State University, worked at a Meijer Retail and Grocery Superstore for over two years while in high school. At the time Shepard lived with his parents and didn’t have to worry about paying rent or buying groceries, all that he had to pay for was filling up his gas tank and paying for his car insurance. Shepard recalled, “It was all I could do to pay for the basics like gas and bill’s, I barely had any money to have fun on the weekends”. This is only an example of a high school student that can nearly slip by on minimum wage with only a few expenses. There are 1.8 million people in America with children under the age of 18 that would benefit from an increase in minimum wage (Minimum).
In the 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to raise the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, and soon after signed an Executive Order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for the individuals working on new federal service contracts. An increase in the minimum wage has been a topic of discussion for many years now, and it looks like this year will finally see the first increase of minimum wage in 10 years. Not everyone agrees that there should be an increase, but many states have already raised their minimum wage rates because of the federal government’s inaction. Iowa raised the state’s wage, and it will rise again in 2016. Clearly there are benefits to a higher minimum wage; the current minimum wage in the United States should be raised because it helps the economy by increasing employment, and it is now at the lowest value it has been in more than 50 years, causing hardship for earners of minimum wage.
In the modern era, stereotypes seem to be the ways people justify and simplify the society. Actually, “[s]tereotypes are one way in which we ‘define’ the world in order to see it” (Heilbroner 373). People often prejudge people or objects with grouping them into the categories or styles they know, and then treat the types with their experiences or just follow what other people usually do, without truly understand what and why. Thus, all that caused miscommunication, argument or losing opportunities to broaden the life experience. Stereotypes are usually formed based on an individual’s appearance, race, and gender that would put labels on people.