Tag Archives: social issues

A $15 Minimum Wage for all Working Americans

By Amelia Christensen, 16, Minnesota.

Raising the federal minimum could will save millions of Americans from financial burden and stress!

As a working high school student, I get paid $11 an hour, which is $3.75 above the minimum wage in America (currently at $7.25 per hour). My paycheck for two weeks covers a few meals at a fast-food restaurant, one small grocery bill, and maybe a few miscellaneous items. Now imagine a single mom living on a $7.25 per hour wage with kids, a mortgage, grocery bills, and student debt to pay. To put this in perspective, she would need to work 139 hours a week to meet her expenses. This would translate into working almost 20 hours a day, seven days a week!

A $7.25 hourly wage would mean earning about $15,080 per year. This pay is extremely low, leaving an individual living barely above the poverty line, surviving paycheck to paycheck. A full-time worker living on federal minimum wage would even qualify for food stamps. It’s extremely hard to comprehend how an individual can live on this paycheck, but imagine a whole family living on a yearly salary of $15,080. Quality of life goes down, mental health issues increase and basic needs aren’t met.

Money and financial problems play a huge factor in increased suicide rates. The American Journal of Epidemiology found that financial stressors like unemployment and low income might make someone 20 times more likely to attempt suicide.

Fortunately, there is a solution to the problem. According to a 2020 study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, raising the minimum wage by even one dollar an hour would cause suicide rates to drop. As shown in these statistics, people living in poverty don’t just struggle financially, but also have mental health issues. Many low-income workers are struggling to make ends meet, provoking them to have extreme stress, anxiety disorders, depression, or other mental illnesses. Raising the minimum wage could not only help the quality of life for many struggling Americans but it could also save thousands of lives.

Raising the federal minimum is a long process and doesn’t just happen overnight. Biden has proposed to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. If his plan is successful, he would pull 900,000 people out of poverty, increase pay for 17 million workers, and help narrow the chronic economic gap between white Americans and Black and Hispanic Americans. The minimum wage has been stagnant at $7.25 an hour since 2009, but with the Raise the Wage Act the federal minimum wage would go to $9.50 an hour in June. Then it would continue to rise until it hits $15 in June of 2025. The Liberal Economic Policy estimates that 31 percent of African Americans and 26 percent of Latinos would receive a raise if the minimum wage was increased, which would play a crucial role in reducing racial economic disparities.

Some concerns about raising the federal minimum wage are: it would take a toll on the economy and take away millions of jobs, as employers are required to pay their employees more. Two economists from Princeton University, Card and Krueger surveyed 410 fast-food restaurants and found that with higher minimum wage, job openings increased rather than decreased. Professor Arindrajit Dube of Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst, a leading minimum wage researcher, points out that companies would benefit from a wage increase because employees would be less likely to quit, which would save time, money, and resources.

Raising the minimum wage will not completely solve all financial problems for an American living on federal minimum wage, but it will provide some financial freedom. If we start to raise the minimum wage gradually, even by a dollar an hour, it would relieve financial stress and anxiety, and even save lives for struggling individuals living paycheck to paycheck.

References:

https://livingwage.mit.edu/articles/19-new-data-calculating-the-living-wage-for-u-s-states-counties-and-metro-areas

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-raising-the-minimum-wage-can-be-a-win-for-mental-health#Suicide-rates-drop

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-economists-see-bidens-15-wage-proposal

Why I Need My Cell Phone

By Beatriz Lindemann, age 13, Florida.

People sometimes wonder why kids are always on their phones. Adults think that kids just play dumb games on their phones. That is not true. Being on my phone does not mean that I am being unsocial. You can “talk” to people in many different ways. Texting, social media, phone calls, Facetime, letters, emails, and in person, are the ways that I communicate with people. My parents call my phone “my precious” because it is so important to me. To be honest, it really is. My phone is the best present my parents ever gave me.

I learn things from my phone. I can ask my phone a question and it gives me the answer immediately. I use it to communicate with friends across the world, too. I have a friend that lives in Melbourne, Australia while I live in Florida. If I did not have my phone, I would not be able to talk to her. A phone allows friends to keep in touch though time and geography may separate them. It really is a gift that other generations did not have. Phones give us so many options. My phone allows me to creatively express myself. For example, I can use a videography app to make mini movies. Or, I can edit photos adding cool lighting and even put designs and drawings in them. My phone allows me to share funny things that happened to me with my friends. My phone lets me capture memories so that I have them forever.  I can find news articles about current events or even history. The access inspires me and allows me to do what I want to do with the click of a button. I have learned so much from my phone, and I’m just getting started.

I can listen to music, watch a video about how to do something, or to even write this essay, all on my phone. That is what makes it so special.

Then there’s the excitement. Every buzz could be something or someone important. I don’t want to miss anything. Someone could have messaged me or liked something I did or posted and I don’t want to miss it. Every beep or ding is mysterious, and I just want to click to find out what’s waiting in store for me. 

It amazes me how far technology has come, and I wonder where it will go? It is really quite fascinating. I can research anything, and millions of links will come up immediately. People sometimes wonder why kids are always on their phones. We are on our phones because the world in there is so huge it takes time to explore, to understand, to create.

And, fortunately, if we get lost in there, we can always find our way back—I’m sure there’s an app for that.

By Beatriz Lindemann, age 13, Florida.

From the Editor

Coping with the Current Challenges (Spring 2020 editorial)

These are trying times! Are you feeling the stress that’s going viral? As I write this letter, there are a lot of uncertainties looming on the horizon. All over the world, a number of events and services are being suspended. We are getting tons of emails about ways to cope with the virus that has spread so rapidly on all the continents and in most countries. 

We live in a globalized world. Events and issues from one part of the world impact the rest of the world. To contain this virus, governments and institutions have restricted travel, cancelled public gatherings and closed schools and libraries. Everyone’s schedule has been interrupted. Please know that these measures are in the best interest of us all and our human society. 

Since no immunization is available for Coronavirus at this time, the best strategy is to slow its spread. That way our health care and social systems are not stretched to their breaking points. We can reduce the risk of getting the virus and spreading it in the community by realizing that for now, prevention is the best cure. To reduce a rapid spread of the virus:

*  Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if no water is available. 

* Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

* Avoid close contact with those who show the symptoms.

* Stay home if you have a cough, fever, or illness.

* Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw it  away in the trash. No tissue? Cough into your elbow.

* Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently touched.

Doctors are also suggesting that we follow best practices for social distancing, including staying away from others who are sick, washing hands often, and avoiding crowds. No hand-shakes, kisses, or hugs to greet people. Recommended social distance is six feet.

The Coronavirus is not deadly for most people, especially the young and healthy. If we are helping each other, there is no reason to feel desperate. We have been through tough times, as communities and countries, many times in human history, and we have pulled out of those insurmountable situations. (On pages 24-25, read about the Dust Bowl crisis of the 1930s). We are in this together—as a nation and as the whole world. There is no reason to be in a panic mode even if this COVID-19 epidemic has been called a global pandemic by the WHO (World Health Organization). It just reminds us to spare no efforts to overcome this. Let’s do our part in helping contain it.

One tried and true way to feel hopeful and in charge, is to be involved in doing something positive. 

In February, about 60 youth, ages 9 to 18, and their mentors came together for an Environmental Leadership Summit. The weekend was organized by PeaceJam Northwest at the University of Oregon and was focused on the urgent challenges facing the environment we live in. Youth have shown strong leadership around the world in addressing these issues, and the event offered them a chance to inspire and inform each other. There were workshops, action planning using sustainable business models, interactive events, and a keynote address by Kiran Oommen, one of the youth plaintiffs in the landmark climate lawsuit Juliana vs United States brought by Our Children’s Trust. It was an inspiring gathering that encouraged cooperation and community. PeaceJam is an international education organization guided by over a dozen Nobel Peace Prize winners and with programs in 40 countries. Their mission is to inspire young people to create projects at a local level that have a global impact.  

In the weeks ahead, you might find that your school is cancelled, and that you are spending days at home. You can think of that time as your “individual study time.” Read books from neighbors and e-books from the library, write stories, learn some new skills like cooking or practice musical instruments, sing, and walk or jog outdoors. Your time at home can be devoted to do things that you always wanted to learn or practice.

Our Spring 2020 issue features nature awareness and nature appreciation. As you browse through you will see scores of nature haiku, many with eye-catching nature art—all by youth like yourself. This issue’s photo essay (pages 16-20) by photographer Paul Dix features many wilderness areas and high mountains that offer a place for nature to thrive. The majestic peaks are symbols of the grandeur of nature. It wouldn’t surprise me if after seeing these breath-taking photographs, your family decides to visit them sometime in the future.

Wishing you good health this year and beyond, 

Arun