As a matter that overlaps with many of the practical details of human life, economics will confront practically everyone at some point. Developed and developing communities are particularly reliant on standard economic structures that include wages for jobs, and the minimum wage laws in America were initially introduced to create a wage floor that would grant workers enough income to support themselves. Thus, if prices of necessary items like food increase without an accompanying increase in the minimum wage, the entire conceptual point of a minimum wage is ignored. Even bringing this up might be met with straw man charges of socialistic motivations, however.
Socialism and improving the national minimum wage are by no means identical. The former concerns a potentially mild redistribution of wealth already owned by various taxpayers and subsequent attempts to maintain the redistributed status. The latter has no connection to shifting wealth from one citizen to another, as it is about ensuring that every person, no matter their seniority, skills, or opportunities, is able to receive a liveable wage. These two issues do not necessarily overlap at all no matter how loudly and persistently conservatives might protest at the slightest reference to minimum wage reform.
If there was no minimum wage law--and there is certainly no demonstrable moral obligation for a government to impose one--individual employers would almost certainly need to offer competitive pay if they wanted to attract workers away from other job opportunities, but if there is a minimum wage law, the only logical justification is a baseline level of pay that would address the basic needs of at least a lone worker. The American minimum wage is often unable to meet even this fundamental requirement at its current status.
No one has to be a socialist to realize that approximately $1,200 a month is not enough to support one person's food, clothing, rent/house payments, transportation costs, and medicinal items (if needed), not to mention periodic repairs for vehicles, appliances, and other belongings. Except in cases where their expenses would be far lesser than those of the general population for some unusual reason, adults in general simply cannot afford even these foundational and often necessary aspects of life with a full-time job when they are only paid close to seven dollars for every hour of work.
To admit these problems with the present American minimum wage is not the same as embracing socialistic policies to any extent. Instead, doing so merely acknowledges a part of daily life that many Americans brush up against in some manner even if they have not seriously thought about how the situation could be changed. The minimum wage needs to be amended if it is to accomplish its original purpose, or it needs to be abolished so that different job providers will offer superior wages in order to entice new workers away from other jobs. It might only takes a few moments for an adult living in America to reason out that the status quo is not as beneficial for the workforce as either of the other options.
Logic, people. It is very fucking helpful.
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