America’s Wage War
Way back in history, around the beginning of the nineteenthcentury, a
country by the name of New Zealand passed a minimum wage law. This law
established an amount of money you receive per hour of labor. It was set so people
that work made enough money to “support themselves and their families”,
(
Minimum Wage, par. 2
). This idea did not reach our country until 1912 when,
“Massachusetts became the first state in the U.S. to pass a minimum wage law”,
(
Minimum Wage, par. 3
). Shortly after this, other states soon followed suit, passing
the same law. The Supreme Court eventually declared the law unconstitutional,
ruling in a case back in 1924 stating, “that the minimum wage laws violated the
Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by destroying the freedom of businesses
and workers to form contracts without government interference”, (
Minimum Wage,
2
par. 3
). They changed their mind on the ruling during the Great Depression with
the help from President Roosevelt. Ever since then, living costs have risen and so
has minimum wage. The article “Minimum Wage” reads, “Congress increased the
minimum wage in 1949, 1956, 1961, 1968, 1974, 1991, 1996, and 1997. From
1997 to 2007 the federal minimum stayed at $5.15 per hour”. That shows the
minimum wage has gone up with the cost of living, but halts for a decade, putting
strain on the middle class. Congress passed a threestep increase to the national
minimum wage. “The 2007 law called for the minimum wage to reach $5.85 in
2007, $6.55 in 2008, and $7.25 in 2009,” (
Minimum Wage, par. 4
). Even as the
government increased the wage a little, it still does not go hand in hand with living
costs. There are millions of families out there working long hours, multiple jobs,
and busting their butts, just to get by. Plus, you have life getting in the way with ...