Raising Minimum Wage

Cecilia Corona English 1B 04/11/13 I want to start off by telling you a little bit about Ms. Criswell she works full time, with no benefits, and she hasn't had a raise in three years. After taxes, she brings home $1,030 a month – enough, if she's careful, to meet her expenses, with little wiggle room. “What I feel," she says, "is anxiety. I felt it just this morning. It's constantly in the back of my mind: 'Am I going to have enough to pay the bills?'” She grows what food she can and buys items that can be stretched out to multiple meals. To live with the concern of whether or not she will be able to keep her home and feed herself shouldn't be an issue for anyone. They are programs to help starving children in foreign countries then maybe the government should stop and look at whats happening in America. We cant say Ms. Criswell is lazy and doesn't want to work, so how else can she bring home more income if she is limited to what is available. If minimum wage was to be increased, this would allow people to bring home more income and there are concerns and I will address them in the following. According to minimum-wage.org, a full time minimum wage worker in California working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, will earn $64.00 per day, $320.00 per week, and $16,640.00 per year. The national poverty line for a family unit consisting of two people is $14,570 per year. This doesn't give much room for emergencies or health complications or even extra money to put away in a savings account, most families live paycheck to paycheck. With rising gas prices and rent, theres no doubt that a bigger pay check can substancially lower the risk of going bank rupt or putting the health and well being of your child in danger. Cost of living has risen since the last time minimum wage was raised and therefore calls for a raise in the near future. I agree on raising minimum wage for a few reasons. Big corporations are making an enormous amount of money, they