I am a 19-year-old social work major that is registered to vote as a Democrat, and no, I do not agree with Senator Bernie Sanders in regards to the minimum wage. Yes, I plan on voting for Sanders in the New Jersey Primaries, but this is certainly something we disagree on.
The federal minimum wage of $7.25 is indeed a starvation wage. It hasn’t kept up with inflation, or worker productivity. But raising it to $15? That figure is just way too high.
Don’t get me wrong or criticize me for not being compassionate or empathetic. I strongly believe in a social safety net, so as to help people who are down on their luck. I believe in welfare and the expansion of social security. I am by no means saying that poor people deserve to be poor because I understand that poverty is a vicious cycle that is extremely arduous to break. I’d like to believe that everyone is doing the best that they can at any given time, because honestly, nobody wants to be living paycheck to paycheck. Despite these beliefs, I also believe that it is imperative that we as a country raise the minimum wage to $10 instead of $15. Here’s my reasoning:
I recently started working at Rita’s Water Ice (or as my roommate would say Rita’s Italian Ice). I’m earning minimum wage, plus tips. With the money I am earning over the summer, I hope to be able to pay for half of my car insurance and my books for the fall, as well as having spending money for the summer and ideally, for next year as well. I could never imagine fully supporting myself, let alone a family on the money I am earning. It would be beyond impossible to do so. But here’s the thing: a minimum wage job was never intended to become a career. My summer job is just that — a summer job. It's a stepping stone to a higher paying job. If I were working thirty hours per week over a three-month period earning $15 per hour, I would make approximately $5,400 before taxes in the state of New Jersey. I simply don’t deserve that for scooping water ice. At the end of the day, if a person requires a job that pays $15 per hour to meet their needs, then they need to acquire a skill set worthy of receiving that amount of money.
So while I do not agree with Senator Bernie Sander’s plan, I do think the minimum wage should be raised to $10. I understand that many young people are starting out with minimum wage jobs, largely due to the downfall of the economy, which is out of their control. If a young person works forty hours a week, earning the current federal minimum wage, they will earn approximately $14,500 before taxes (this is assuming they take two weeks vacation time). If it was raised to $10, they would make $20,000. No, this is not enough to support a family, but it’s enough to have a start towards financial independence. And like I said before, a minimum wage job shouldn’t turn into a lifelong endeavor anyway, but rather, a learning experience to be carried into a career later on.
