In 2015, 2.6 million workers with wages at or below the federal minimum made up 3.3 percent of all hourly paid workers. While the minimum wage defers between states, the average minimum wage around the United States currently is $7.25 per hour. This numeric value has created much controversy in recent years though. Should the minimum wage be raised across the states? My opinion: no.

If the federal government were to increase the minimum wage the stability of the macroeconomy could spiral into chaos. Employees are a resource of a company; they are a resource of product production. Thus, if this price of this resource were to increase, the short-run aggregate supply curve would decrease. With this decrease in supply, inflation would occur within the economy and the Real GDP of the country would degrade. Therefore, this would negatively affect the country in its entirety.

In addition, if the minimum wage were to increase, the value of a college degree may be neglected. People may start to think that they can survive off a minimum wage, say of $15, and still live a healthy, happy life. College degrees are an unnecessary credential for jobs that compensate minimum wage. Thus, it is possible that less and less people will aspire for a college degree since they may realize that is not worth is hefty price tag. This mindset could digress America's education levels and proficiency since it is plausible that a lower percentage of people will graduate college and participate in higher learning.

Finally, while many will bombard this argument with a pathos assault about the harsh conditions that minimum-wage workers suffer through and how hard they work, I frankly do not believe they deserve the same salaries as individuals who work in more specialized fields that require higher education. If anyone can do the job, the pay should reflect that and be lower. Sorry if that is not what you want to hear, but it is true. Someone who codes intensive program and is able to decipher Java and python in order to protect websites and data should not be paid as much as someone who mops the floor or operates a cash register. Rash, but true.

In conclusion, it is glaringly evident that the United States cannot afford to raise the minimum wage due to the negative affect it would have on our economy and our strong, powerful mindset as people.