Should we raise the minimum wage?

The minimum wage is the lowest hourly wage allowed by law.

One side says:
(Flip all cards) (Flip all cards)

  • A minimum wage that's too low means taxpayers have to pay for the food stamps.

    Wouldn't it be simpler and more honest to just pay people enough to live on?

  • A low minimum wage means that taxpayers are subsidizing rich employers like Walmart.

    Food stamps are a pillar of these employers' business model. They pay too little, knowing that the taxpayers will pay the rest.

  • If full-time workers qualify for food stamps, the minimum wage is too low.

    A poverty wage is when full-time workers need assistance from the government – like food stamps, Medicaid, and housing benefits – to make ends meet.

  • Yes, the minimum wage is designed to kill jobs – sweatshop jobs.

    If your business can only thrive by exploiting workers, then you shouldn't be in business.

  • Raising the minimum wage will actually boost the economy.

    Every extra dollar that low-income workers earn is spent. Basic economics tells us that more spending means more jobs, with ripple effects across the economy.

  • Why We Shouldn't Raise The Minimum Wage, by Buzzfeed Yellow
  • Raise the Minimum Wage to $15 Per Hour, by MoveOn.org
  • Boost or Bust: Jobs and Places, by ToposPartnership

The other side says:
(Flip all cards) (Flip all cards)

  • Minimum wage workers don't deserve a high minimum wage.

    Not every worker is worth the same amount. It's crazy to tell business owners that every retail clerk or burger flipper is worth, say, $15 per hour.

  • Raising the minimum wage is unfair to workers who currently earn a higher wage.

    Why should workers just out of high school earn the same as people with years of experience and training?

  • Raising the minimum wage will cause inflation.

    Raising the minimum wage hurts middle-class people, because it will mean higher prices for things that are already expensive, like food and clothing.

  • Raising the minimum wage will kill jobs.

    Small businesses are America's real job creators. And when small business owners are forced to pay higher wages, that forces them to lay off workers or stop hiring.

  • Let the Market set the wage.

    Wages go up or down with the economy. Politicians should be working on getting the economy in better shape instead of burdening businesses with higher costs.

  • The Truth about the Minimum Wage, by feeseminars
  • Bill Gates on the risks of raising the minimum wage, by American Enterprise Institute