Dear Future Mister or Madam President,

Imagine if you were a successful small business owner, but had to shut down your company because you could not afford to pay your workers. This is an imperative problem that could occur if we do not fix our minimum wage amounts, established by The Fair Labors Standards Act. They made a substantial change in 2009 when they changed the minimum wage from $6.55 to what is currently is, $7.25 (U.S. Department of Labor). Since then, the economy has been going down hill. However, there are people trying to amend this act by raising the minimum wage, which definitely will not help our country thrive.  I am in 8th grade, and I am very passionate about this issue because my dad is a part of a small business. If minimum wage increases, then he might not be able to afford to pay the workers, which could put him out of business.  When I asked him what would happen if minimum wage was increased, my dad answered by saying, “ I would probably have to fire some people, or go out of business."   If minimum wage is increased, then small businesses will go out of business, taxes would increase, and school dropout rates would increase.

One problem is that our economy is falling apart and there is a complete need for change. The Fair Labor Standards Act was created in 1938, and since then, the minimum wage has increased by seven dollars. Of course, as the years go by, we need to raise the minimum wage gradually, such as 2 cents a year. However, there is no reason we should be increasing it by 70 cents in one year. One of the reasons is because the minimum wage is so high, companies are struggling to pay their workers, causing them to become unemployed. This increase in minimum wage in 2009 caused the unemployment rate to go up by 2.8%, one of the highest increases in our history. According to The Congress Budget Office, if minimum wage is increased to $10 and hour, there will be a loss of 500,000 jobs, which our country cannot afford to see this change.

Raising the minimum wage would also cause another problem because there would be an increase in the amount of taxes people have to pay, causing people to more destitute. A lot of people getting paid minimum wage are getting aid from the government such as healthcare and food stamps. If minimum wage increases, then they will have more money and will not be funded for certain issues, so they will have to pay for themselves, causing people to be poorer. Additionally, the more money you get, the more taxes people have to pay, so people getting paid minimum wage would lose money off of taxes, which they would not like. When people think getting paid more would help them, it actually gets them to pay more for other things. (ProCon.org)

The consequence I think is most important is that increasing minimum wages will increase school dropout rates. That being said, I think this is very serious because students all over the country could drop out of school because of their job. This will happen because almost 18% of high school students are employed, so if they get paid more than they might think the do not have to go to school. William Wascher, a doctor of physiology, states that the school enrollment rate will drop from 10% to 2% because of a higher minimum wage. With more students working minimum wage jobs, there won’t be enough crucial jobs such as doctors and teachers. I know our economy is atrocious right now, but that is why our country needs you to help. You have the power to increase employment rates and school enrollments. I am asking you to raise awareness of the consequences of raising minimum wage, such as by giving a public speech. This will inform people that a high minimum wage might not actually help our country. In fact, many people are trying to raise the minimum wage, but you have to veto the acts. You have the chance to make America great again by vetoing acts amending The Fair Labors Standards Act and bringing awareness.

Sincerely, Stephanie