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United States of America
Oppose Federal Legislation for Minimum Wages; Let States Determine According to Their Local Economy
Lois Digges
Although the federally-imposed minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, the majority of states have a minimum wage above this. Minimum wages range greatly: from none in five states, to $5.15 in Georgia, to $14 in California. The diversity in minimum wages is for good reason: economies vary widely state by state. The cost of living in Hawai’i is much higher than the cost of living in South Dakota.
A federally-imposed minimum wage can’t hope to be efficient at meeting the needs of such diverse state economies. In addition, one can argue that imposing a centralized top-down minimum wage from the federal government is unconstitutional. The very concept of a minimum wage was deemed unconstitutional by the ruling of a Supreme Court case (Adkins v. Children’s Hospital of D.C.) that stood for 15 years until the “big switch” in 1937 when the Supreme court narrowly upheld Washington state’s minimum wage law in West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish.
It is also worth noting that from the beginning, a minimum wage was intended to provide a living wage, not an entry wage for teenagers living with their parents. In the 1890’s, the founding president of the American Federation of Labor argued for a minimum living wage that would be enough for workers to live. Likewise, the first federally mandated minimum wage in 1938 was designed to ensure that wages were at subsistence levels. Currently, only 10% of minimum wage earners are teenagers, and over half are above 35.
In conclusion, the minimum wage should be a living wage. However, mandating wages is a task better suited to state governments instead of the federal government because of its unconstitutionality and the varying costs of living among states. For these reasons, federal legislation to increase the minimum wage must be opposed.
Bibliography
Kiger, Patrick J. “Minimum Wage in America: A Timeline.” History. 28 October, 2019. https://www.history.com/news/minimum-wage-america-timeline
National Conference of State Legislatures. “State Minimum Wages.” 20 April, 2021. https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wage-chart.aspx
Lois Digges
Although the federally-imposed minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, the majority of states have a minimum wage above this. Minimum wages range greatly: from none in five states, to $5.15 in Georgia, to $14 in California. The diversity in minimum wages is for good reason: economies vary widely state by state. The cost of living in Hawai’i is much higher than the cost of living in South Dakota.
A federally-imposed minimum wage can’t hope to be efficient at meeting the needs of such diverse state economies. In addition, one can argue that imposing a centralized top-down minimum wage from the federal government is unconstitutional. The very concept of a minimum wage was deemed unconstitutional by the ruling of a Supreme Court case (Adkins v. Children’s Hospital of D.C.) that stood for 15 years until the “big switch” in 1937 when the Supreme court narrowly upheld Washington state’s minimum wage law in West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish.
It is also worth noting that from the beginning, a minimum wage was intended to provide a living wage, not an entry wage for teenagers living with their parents. In the 1890’s, the founding president of the American Federation of Labor argued for a minimum living wage that would be enough for workers to live. Likewise, the first federally mandated minimum wage in 1938 was designed to ensure that wages were at subsistence levels. Currently, only 10% of minimum wage earners are teenagers, and over half are above 35.
In conclusion, the minimum wage should be a living wage. However, mandating wages is a task better suited to state governments instead of the federal government because of its unconstitutionality and the varying costs of living among states. For these reasons, federal legislation to increase the minimum wage must be opposed.
Bibliography
Kiger, Patrick J. “Minimum Wage in America: A Timeline.” History. 28 October, 2019. https://www.history.com/news/minimum-wage-america-timeline
National Conference of State Legislatures. “State Minimum Wages.” 20 April, 2021. https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wage-chart.aspx
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– develop their own political philosophy out of various ideas,
– determine which ideas are most strongly supported by the people, and
– find the true representatives of the public will, to elect them into public office.