Should the federal minimum wage be raised? No, the minimum wage should not be raised for many reasons. One reason being minimum wage affects small businesses and large amounts of their earnings go to taxes

Source 3 “The Economic Effects of Minimum Wage” by Owen E.Richason IV, Demand Media. States that the minimum wage should not be raised. The source states that “The minimum wage directly affects small businesses because a large number of their earrings go directly to pay for operating expenses, such as equipment, supplies, lease or mortgage, credit lines, inventory, and employee wages and benefits.” This shows that raising the minimum wage would just destroy the businesses since not as much money would be going to taxes. If money is not going into taxes for the state and the community, and even the business then eventually everything is going to fail and then businesses will start losing money and all of their employees. The source also states that “Research conducted by the Heritage Foundation in 2003 found that raising the minimum wage would not curtail poverty levels because of the percentage of people employed full-time earning minimum wage....” This also shows that raising the minimum wage would just destroy the economy, businesses, and poverty as a whole.

Source 1 “History of the United States’ Minimum Wage” from The Department of Labor. States that the United States has not always had a minimum wage. This source states that “Before the minimum wage was even introduced to the United States during the Great Depression of the 1930s, there was no national minimum wage, or needed any legislation to protect workers from exploitation.” This shows that raising the minimum wage has no benefits because minimum wage was not always a thing in the United States. Raising the minimum wage would again, only just make the United States more miserable.

On the other hand, others may argue that raising the minimum wage would have benefits. Source 2 “There’s no shame in starting at the bottom” by Brain Birnberg, assistant professor at The King’s College. States that raising the minimum wage would have its benefits for the United States. In the source, it says “As Diana Ranson points out in Inc.Magazine, that adds up to $15,000 more a year for each worker. Sounds good for the worker —- if that job exists.” This shows that raising the minimum wage could maybe have its benefits, but in reality, raising the minimum wage would only affect the United States in negative ways.