The Call to Raise The Minimum Wage in Virginia

Why should minimum wage be raised? It is a never ending debate in the United States. A lot of people wish that Virginia would raise the minimum wage. The minimum wage in Virginia is $7.25, and to some people that is not enough to provide for their family. The government should really sit down and think “are people really providing for their family with this minimum wage”? The answer is no! People are struggling really bad with the minimum wage. People believe that the government should raise the minimum wage since it is not enough to pay bills. People also deserve more than $7.25 because you have some individuals out here in Virginia living paycheck to paycheck.

Minimum wage is getting out of control. People cannot pay their bills with $7.25 an hour and that is ridiculous! Let’s say a person work eight hours a day for five days. That person would make $290, and usually that person would get paid every two weeks. That person would have a check of $580, but then the government would have to take taxes out of their check. Usually the average electric bill is $111.13, so that would leave that person with $468.87. Then comes the other bills like insurance, water, rent or mortgage, and etc. That person might not have enough money to pay their bills; therefore with minimum wage people will not have enough money to pay their bills.

Most people work really hard just to get paid minimum wage. People will work over time and barely get paid anything and that is just wrong in so many ways! People work eight hours shifts and can’t even get a decent lunch break; that is just ridiculous! The government should not be allowed to get away with this. Some people work more than eight hours and barely get to spend time with their family and the government is only paying them minimum wage. They should get way more money, they earned it.

People in Virginia are living paycheck to paycheck. That means that if they don’t get their paycheck they won’t have a thing. People can’t save because they are not getting paid enough to put a few extra dollars away in a savings account because all of their money is going toward bills. What living paycheck to paycheck means is that they can’t provide for their family. They have to wonder how they are going to get their kids clothes, shoes, and etc. People might not have enough money to get their children food the whole month, so that is more stress put on the parents. Parents should not have to wonder where their next meal is coming from. The government really should resolve this issue.

To conclude the essay, most people live in fear that they will be homeless because they cannot pay mortgage or rent to keep their house. People really should come together and demand a raising of minimum wage. If more than a few people come together they will have to do something about. People work way harder than $7.25, they need more. America needs to do something about this, and it needs to happen soon.