“President Obama’s push to raise the minimum wage is a recipe for fewer jobs,” says Edward Morrissey. What good will raising the minimum wage do?  Fewer jobs? Higher prices? A less likely chance to get a job? America doesn’t need all this havoc. Raising the minimum wage, a terrible idea, will have many bad effects on America.

First, It will be harder for people to get a job.  To cover for a higher wage for workers, businesses will have to reduce the number of jobs, which will make it harder for people to get jobs. Many workers start at low paying jobs in the service industry such as restaurants.  If the minimum wage increases, the employers will be able to afford fewer workers.  Many inexperienced or lower-skilled workers won’t get jobs because the people with more experience will.  Lastly, Holtz-Eakin said, “Raising the minimum wage is an incredibly unwise thing to do.” It will make it a lot harder for those who need a job to get one.

Next, business’s prices will rise. Businesses will have to raise their prices in order to make up for the higher wages paid to workers. An estimate shows that if the minimum wage is raised, it could cause an increase in McDonald’s Big Mac price by 68 cents. Another business cited that they would have to raise their menu prices, which could result in a three dollar coffee.  Lastly, an increased minimum wage could cause an increase in retail food prices by at most ten cents a day.  This would have a big impact on every family’s grocery bill.

Lastly, due to a higher minimum wage, businesses will cut down on jobs which will cause higher unemployment rates and more poverty. If the minimum wage is increased, CBO has projected an estimated 500,000 jobs lost. The few people who keep their jobs get a raise in income, but those who lose their jobs or never get one, will suffer. A big finding in economic research shows that when the minimum wage was increased over time there was an increase in unemployment. Lastly, the only people who will benefit from an increased minimum wage are those who actually have a job and get paid the minimum wage. Those who get no income and need the most help won’t get any help from the increase in the the minimum wage.

Raising the minimum wage will cause higher prices, more unemployment, and it will make it harder for people to get a job. Does America want to pay more for a hamburger?  6.7% of Americans are unemployed.  Do we want more?