While flipping through channels on a Thursday afternoon I
stopped at a reality show on TLC. Now, most of TLC’s shows are a bit… odd to
say the least but this show in particular was different and almost sad.
“Extreme Couponing” depicts families and couples who are extremely focused on
saving money. A borderline obsession.
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| Courtesy of Google.com |
Literally counting every penny seems tedious. Most
people on the show had full time jobs but chose to live that life style. I realized later that some people have to count pennies to get by.
$15,000. That is the full time annual salary for minimum
wage workers in most states. I’m not
even sure that the extreme couponers could live off this amount.
Maybe that could be season finale nail biter?
Senator Tom Harkin and Representative George Miller proposed
the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013. Basically this act does three things..
·
Raises minimum wage to $10.10 in three parts by
2015
·
“Indexes” minimum wage (A.K.A. matches it to
inflation)
·
Increases the minimum wage for tipped workers
above $2.13
(Greenhouse, Rampell par 5).
People cannot live off of $15,000. The graph to the left shows the number of hours needed to work by state in order to afford an apartment. This is just shelter, not even food or clothing.
I have lived in Alaska the past four years. While I miss the beauty, I do not miss the months of negative temperatures and the cost of living. I worked as a barista at a
small coffee shop for two years. During that time I saw a lot of girls pass
through. Most of them were in their early twenties living on their own. The
majority even had second jobs. The number one reason they quit was because
they needed more income. I cannot begin to imagine their stress level of paying
bills and balancing life.
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| Courtesy of google.com |
I know some people are thinking, that it is impossible, America
is in a recession. But, that is actually why we need it more, to boost economy.
Let’s go back to the Great Depression. There was no federal minimum wage before
this time period. President Roosevelt created one as part of his New Deal to
help workers stay out of poverty and boost economy (Raising the Minimum Wage Par 4). I know I am one of many who compare our two time periods in hopes to fix our economy today.
There have been studies on what would happen if minimum wage were to increase. Now, I am not an economics or business major so most
of these float over my head. Luckily, Bloomberg
Businessweek made it easy for me to understand. A minimum wage increase
does not cause harm. Tax reliefs for small businesses are major incentives to
raise wages. The country as a whole would benefit. (Berfield, Coy par 4).
Why not help 30 million of Americans? The ones who cut coupons to get by. The ones that work two jobs. This change, like many bills is long overdue.
Works Cited
Coy, Peter, and Susan Berfield. "What a Higher Minimum Wage Does for Workers and the Economy." Bloomsberg Businessweek. 27 Nov. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2013.
Rampell, Catherine, and Steven Greenhouse. "$10 Minimum Wage Proposal Has Growing Support from White House." The New York Times. 7 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.
This article was very interesting. This was a topic I am familiar with and i thought that you did a terrific job explaining and arguing your persuasive purpose of increasing the national minimum wage.I felt the strongest use of rhetorical strategy throughout the essay was the use of pathos. Obviously the topic of minimum wage will affect a majority of an audience ages 18-25. However, you did a great job giving specific examples, such as the Alaskan buristas, that relate directly to much of your audience. Also, the use of ethos aided your argument. When you stated that you were not a business or economic major, but Bloomberg Businessweek knew a lot on this topic. This is a reliable source that helps me believe what is being said which contributes to a more effective article.
ReplyDeleteWhen i analyze the article as a whole, there is no doubt in my mind that you accomplish you persuasive purpose through your use of pathos and ethos.
The only advice i have to give is for the intro. You may want to include a thesis statement closer to the beginning of the article. Some people may become confused on whether or not your article is focused on coupon cutting or the minimum wage. That being said, the article was very good. In my opinion, an A paper.
This article was very informative. As a person who hasn't really had to work for what they have it helped me understand the importance of minimum wage. Although I have had a job, it was used to get spending money not something to live off of and this article displayed the differences of a job of need and want. Your use of specific examples added that you knew the implications of lower minimum wage. The use of your research on the economic importance by utilizing Bloomberg Businessweek gave your post credibility.
ReplyDeleteYour article as a whole was very effective in persuading the audience by utilizing ethos and pathos. You also utilize some logos through the pictures you placed through your post. Although the article was slightly misleading in the beginning by talking about couponing it tied in nicely with the overall purpose of the article. This provided wonderful insight in the lives of many people in the population of the UNited States, and I applaud you for the examples you provided.