Dear Future President,

We have a major problem in the United States. The citizens of America want a federal minimum wage increase to $15. Protesters are damaging cars, property, and buildings.This needs to stop, Future President, and you are the one to stop this.

The minimum wage shouldn’t be raised because a lot of families are paid on salary and it will be hard for them to buy what they need if the minimum wage increases for everyone else. Some people say that raising the minimum wage would increase economic activity and spur job growth and the result will net approximately 22.1 billion dollars and create 85,000 new jobs. However, increasing the minimum wage would actually force businesses to lay off employees and raise unemployment levels. The US would lose 500,000 jobs which would hurt the economy.

Congress shouldn’t raise the minimum wage because it would increase the price of consumer goods. A 2013 article by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago stated that if the minimum wage is increased, fast-food restaurants would pass on almost 100% of their increased labor costs to consumers and that other firms may do the same.

Congress is wrong to raise the wage because you are letting all the salary people that went to college, worked hard, got a degree, have to pay more and work harder because they want more money but are still going to have to pay as much for consumer goods. The people that have minimum wage didn’t necessarily work hard to get a good job  and will be benefiting at the expense of others.

Congress shouldn’t raise the minimum wage because it will increase layoffs and unemployment levels. The Congressional Budget Office projected that a minimum wage increase from $7.25 to $10.10 would result in a loss of 500,000 jobs. In a survey of 1,213 businesses and human resources professionals, 38% of employees who currently pay minimum wage said that they would have to layoff employees and they say they can’t hire nearly as much as they usually do.

Congress shouldn’t raise the minimum wage because it would hurt businesses and force companies to close. 60% of small business owners say that raising the minimum wage will hurt most small business owners according to a 2013 Gallup poll. James Richardson MBA, Vice president of fast food chain White Castle, said that the company would be forced to close almost half its stores and let go thousands of workers if the federal minimum wage were raised to $15.

Future President, if you choose not to raise the minimum wage, you are keeping small businesses in business and you are keeping the consumer goods prices the same so that people on salary can still afford goods for their family, thereby helping the families that worked hard. If you raise the minimum wage, the small business industry will have to close and you will lose 500,000 jobs. Please, Next President, don’t raise the minimum wage to 15$.

Sincerely,

Donovan

8th Grade

Evart Middle School

Evart,MI