On August 30th, 2016, New Jersey governor and former republican presidential candidate Chris Christie vetoed a bill passed in his state, New Jersey, that would raise the minimum wage to fifteen dollars. The minimum wage raise, in particular to fifteen dollars, is one of the most debated topics of this election cycle. Heralded by former democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, the general concept has varying ideas of the effects of the implementation. The republican party at large believes that it would increase prices and automated jobs while most democrats believe it would give more money to lower-class workers to invest into and stimulate the economy to a further extent. Though a higher minimum wage has been implemented in states like California and New York ($10 and $9, respectively), the fifteen dollar minimum wage won’t be happening in New Jersey exclusively anytime soon, but we may be seeing it passed in the federal government… depending on who is elected into the Oval Office in November.
I firmly believe that we, as a nation, need to increase the minimum wage. Though a fifteen dollar minimum wage seems like an extreme jump from our current wage, I think we should take baby steps in advancement. The poverty rates in the United States are disgustingly high (nearly fifteen percent!!!), and a higher minimum wage will help balance the lower and upper classes. Some (far right conservatives) believe that the trickle down theory (that if we keep the money at the top of the economic pyramid, they will invest in more and stimulate the economy more which will deplete poverty rates) will work, but it obviously hasn’t in the past decade or so. In fact, the rich have just taken more for themselves. As Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” It would be insane for our country to leave the wages as they are and expect for poverty rates to magically diminish. If we don’t take action to raise the wages, we won’t make any progress and the lower class will remain without a living wage. I would hope that after this election cycle, our (hopefully) progressive president will allow for a bill raising the minimum wage to $9 or $10 so we can determine which ideal will benefit our economy the most.
