In the last seven years the value of the minimum wage has decreased $0.74, according to www.epinet.org. Due to the decrease in value the minimum wage can no longer keep workers above the poverty threshold. In a country founded on a belief in being able to better your situation in life, the rising poverty rates are deplorable. Workers need to be paid enough money to support themselves and their families, if the government does …showed first 75 words of 346 total…

…showed last 75 words of 346 total…As of 2001, 41.2 million Americans were without healthcare coverage. Of these, 33 million were from working families and 8.5 million were children," according to www.economythatworks.org. Advances in medical care are only beneficial to society if they are accessible to those who need them. The government needs to step up to the plate and increase minimum wages. This would also help boost the economy by putting more money in the hands of those who will spend it.