The Minimum Wage Of 22 Swiss Francs - 1219 Words

In May of 2014, Switzerland rejected the world’s highest minimum wage of 22 Swiss francs, which in American dollars, is roughly $25 per hour. Even Switzerland, one of the more famous countries remaining on the gold standard, has a problem regarding their minimum wage. As a high school student working off of American minimum wage, Switzerland’s presented amount is considered lofty and idealistic. In America, the minimum wage is $7.25, not nearly enough for an adult, let alone a teenanger living at home with parents. Teenagers are expected a lot from their parents, including maintaining a job, continually passing grades, and are expected to pay their own way through college. With minimum wage set at $7.25, college seems like a far-fetched†¦show more content†¦Some people say that when we raise our minimum wage our economy inflates, and the price change would be pointless. Yet when our economy constantly shifts from depression to economic boom, the average worker needs a money cushion. Living on paycheck to paycheck is not a healthy lifestyle, and is in complete contrast to the American Dream. As a high school student working on minimum wage, most people think that $7.25 is plenty for a teenager, when in actuality it is not. Although opponents can argue that â€Å"most minimum wage workers are not trying to support themselves, but are living in households where their living expenses are largely provided for,† says Beth Shulman, this is not the case. â€Å"Half of fast-food workers during the 2010-12 were 23 or over,† according to John Schmitt from the Center of Economic Policy Research. Most of these workers probably clock-in two minimum jobs, and are struggling to make it paycheck to paycheck, never getting the chance to pay off their debts, to take personal vacations, or to live the American Dream. In 1937, the Supreme Court ordered that the government had the power to establish minimum wage rates. This seems ridiculous, seeing as it is nearly impossible for an impersonal government to understand an individual with already low-paying jobs. Not only is the floor for our minimum wage set, but it is approached from White House, a distance most minimum wage