Summary
It is easy to talk about the fact that raising the minimum wage benefits society, but seeing an example of how it directly affects the individual Americans that receive it is vital to the argument to raise the minimum wage. CNN Money conducted an interview with a low wage worker named Safiyyah Cotton. This interview showcased how living as a minimum wage employee forces her, like many other employees working with the same wage, to not have the proper means to live. This forces her seek government assistance, which is a reality for many Americans working at such a low wage.
She is a twenty-two year old single mother with a one-year-old son. She works for $7.50 an hour at McDonald’s which equates to an annual salary of only $6,240 a year. Due to such a low wage and her lack of weekly hours, Safiyyah is forced to seek government help through funding with food stamps, the Child Care and Development Fund, and Federal Housing Assistance. Safiyyah herself receives $216 to spend on food for herself and her son. Even with getting money to help pay for food, she is forced to make every dollar count by not buying fresher and healthier food since it is guaranteed not to last as long.
As far as the Child Care and Development Fund, she receives $140 every week to help pay for her son’s daycare while she works. While having insurance does help her, her low income forces her to sometimes choose the cheapest health care option as opposed to the most beneficial one.
Finally, she receives $125 per month for housing assistance from the government since her low wage does not allow her to successfully pay rent each month. If hard working employees like Safiyyah were paid a higher wage, they wouldn’t need to rely so much on government funding that is only causing the government to slide further into debt.
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