Minimum wage: the bare minimum"They work hard every day; they stock the shelves in our stores, wash dishes in our restaurants, clean our offices at night, s 'take care of our children during the day... They have minimum wage in common and they need a raise, and as you have seen, they deserve a raise” (President Clinton said). this speech on the South Lawn of the White House on March 8, 2000 at 10:30 a.m. He advocated for the minimum wage increase to take effect. He advocated for the people of the United States who were working at the federal minimum wage. But was his argument feasible? Would it be practical to raise the federal minimum wage from its current level of $5.15 an hour to $6.15 an hour when President Roosevelt established the first wage? minimum on June 25, 1938. He created a law that prohibited employers from paying their wages. workers at less than 0.25 cents an hour. Although this law made it easier for workers, businesses and industries at the time found themselves with a decline in their money supply and an increase in demand from workers. Economists predicted that the Great Depression (already in its ninth year) would worsen and Roosevelt would lose popularity among his peers. We didn't know that Roosevelt lost 80 seats in the House that year and that the depression worsened (Folsom). Today, the economic aspects of raising the minimum wage have seen far more positive effects, according to our president and the National Economic Council. “Since the minimum wage was increased in 1996, our economy has created more than 10 million new jobs. The unemployment rate is at its lowest level in 30 years” (Clinton). The numbers look exactly right for simply raising the minimum wage once again. On March 10, 2000, the House passed a m...... middle of paper ......eop.gov.us/2000 /3/8/11.text.March 18, 2000. Folsom, Burton W . Minimum wage causes maximum pain. "Mackinac Center for Public Policy." [online]. Available June 1, 1998. Golway, Terry. Life in the 90s. (minimum wage increases are socially just and economically beneficial). “America Press Inc.” [online].Available: October 24, 1998. House passes minimum wage increase with tax cut package. "About.com" [online]. Available: http://usgovinfo.about.com/newsissues/usgovinfo/library/news/aa031000a.htm March 10, 2000. Lehman, Joseph G. Minimum Wage Hurts Teens and Minorities. “The Mackinac Center for Public Policy.” [online].Available: June 1, 1998Reed, Lawrence W. Minimum wage is lousy economics. “The Mackinac Center for Public Policy.” [online] Available: March 5, 1990.