Minimum Wage

In our country today 10.1 million people work for between $5.15 and $6.14, and while it is not discussed as much as other social issues, raising the minimum wage has been an issue for our country for sometime. This is a huge social issue because back in Clinton's last term he was going to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.50. For a full-time worker, the minimum wage increase would make enough money to pay for almost 7 months of groceries or 5 months of rent. President Bush on the other hand believes that raising the minimum wage would not to be successful and they have blocked attempts to pass legislation to raise the minimum wage in the last Congress. This is a very public issue because 69 percent of these workers are adults (age 20 or over), about 60 percent are women, about 45 percent worked full-time, and about 33 percent are parents with children under age 18. In 1997, the earnings of the average minimum wage worker accounted for 54 percent of their family's total earnings. (http://clinton4.nara.gov/textonly/WH/New/html/20000308.html)

The cause for this social issue could very well be Social Disorganization because the wage is forced on workers by the government. They do not get to decide how much they get paid which is why it is so important that we look at the consequences of not raising the minimum wage to support 10.1 million Americans who need to live off their five dollar an hour living. The government needs to adjust the wage to fit with the demand that society puts on people to have money. Living in America is not cheap! Merton's Anomie Theory could also be used to explain reasons for the need for a wage increase. Some people are born with the means to go out and be something great because they are born with money, and most likely they are white, educated, and male. If a person has the go out and get things that other people may not be able to afford, the others are left in the dark, which is why they live off minimum wage. Most people who have jobs that are minimum wage beneath poverty lines make 10,563 dollars a year, if the minimum wage was increased by one dollar it significantly raise the wealth of people below and above the poverty line. It would also be good for kids in high school and college that need jobs to make money for themselves or other people. I am not saying that I personally need to live off minimum wage but I would not complain if I had an extra dollar in my pocket when I left work.