Wednesday, November 27, 2013
$15 Minimum Wage
This article is perfectly representative of the federalist system in the United States. While much bickering and finger-pointing goes on at the federal level of government, most of the actual policy is being created at the state, and local level. This article certainly raises the question of just how effective our federal government is, and further, just how high should our expectations for it be? Perhaps most matters are best left to state and local governance, and the federal government should keep their responsibilities simple, streamlined, and specifically defined. Of course, if the power is given to state and local municipalities, we could end up with a divided country where a $15 minimum wage is the precedent in one area, and severe voting restrictions (for example) exist in another. Which system would be better: One in which the federal government is involved with everything as a way to make all policy equal and far-reaching, or one in which states and municipalities can decide for themselves what is best?
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Ideally, wouldn't a strong federal government that set basic rules like a minimum minimum wage of $7.25 around the country, but with a tighter grip on voting regulations to avoid a party controlled state to be biased against an outsider party. Local government should have much more power on unimportant things like drivers and zoning permits.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that the federal government should in many ways reflect the needs and desires of the states. However, it is very difficult and not always right to generalize for every state. Take the minimum wage in SeaTac, for example. In SeaTac, there may be a need to raise minimum wage but in places like Door County, many of our jobs are temporary. I don't feel that I should be paid 15 dollars an hour for making people's coffee and I know that small business owners would struggle to pay employees. Business would most likely end up understaffed. That being said, I think that many states could use a minimum wage raise. If the federal government were to implement a law that stated that minimum wage was raised to 15 dollars an hour, it would positively and negatively impact many people. I think it ought to be at the state's discretion that such laws are changed. However, I believe that they are also many issues which cannot be left to the states. If abolishing slavery was up to each individual state, there would still be people owning people in the southern states. A line must be drawn on certain issues such as unalienable rights and such. So I agree with Chris in that state and local governments should have more power over minor things or issues that vary greatly from state to state, but the federal government should still have the final say or be able to make blanket laws (such as abolition) if necessary. Wow, that was long! THE END.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Km4R377s4M Again, video is unrelated to the post, and it's suuuper biased. But starting at like 5 minutes, he talks about how the president has changed since taking office in 08, and it reminded me of when we compared those two pictures of him before and after. If you're conservative, most of this video will not be funny, but I also really enjoy seeing how unamused Donald Trump is, so you should watch the whole thing if you've got 10 minutes to spare. Hope you guys are enjoying the year so far! See you next week!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mikayla (well said!) We are the "United" States of America so there are definitely laws that should be, and really need to be shared by each and every state. I believe that important laws (such as the amendments) need to be under the federal government's control. Also, some laws such as marriage laws, drinking age laws, and abortion laws would benefit and unite our country if they were they same in every state. However, a minor law such as the minimum wage should not be set by the federal government. Seasonal, tourist locations such as Door County would most likely not survive with a minimum wage of $15 because it is challenging enough having a short lived season. Many businesses would not be able to pay for their employees causing many to fail. So for this particular area, and other seasonal tourist towns, a minimum wage of $15 would cause higher unemployment rates. For this reason, I do not agree with the $15 minimum wage and believe that the minimum wage should be declared by the state or local government.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the federal government should make policies that reach across the United States. This is very important to have balance in the nation. With that being said, some areas can have different laws and policies than others. I agree with Mikayla by saying that some places need $15 minimum wage where other places, like Door County, it wouldn't work. States and local governments should have power over smaller level issues and the national government should be able to monitor the fairness of the laws and make laws that govern the whole nation.
ReplyDeleteAs our name implies, we are the UNITED States. We are separate, but united through one government. It wouldn’t make sense for the federal government to make laws to make everything in all states equal. To raise minimum wage to fifteen dollars would be practically devastating to a place like Door County, which is made up of small businesses and people that only operate them for half of the year. However, in states that have large metropolitan areas where living expenses are extremely high and people more commonly work in large corporations, it probably would not make a significant difference to the large businesses and it would be extremely beneficial to the people who are employed by them. That being said, there are small businesses in large metropolitan areas as well. They wouldn’t be able to keep up with the large corporations and would lose workers to businesses that can afford to pay them the extra money per hour. Things that are considered morally right, in my opinion- legalizing gay marriage and as Mikayla said- abolishing slavery, should be federal issues because they should be established nationwide. The involvement of the federal government should be dependent on the necessity of its involvement.
ReplyDeleteI think a $15 minimum wage would only cause major problems for the United States as a whole and towns and cities individually. It would just cause workers to be more greedy and demand even more money in the long run. It would also cause prices on everything to skyrocket. I think it's just unfair for one group of people or single person can decide something so crucial without knowing what goes on in every place in America, although some things should still be decided in the upper tiers of our government.
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