Its called minimum for a reason

Today, almost two million people are living off of minimum wage in the United States. With the economy today, these people are barely getting by. Adam Smith acknowledges the fact that the poor are at a disadvantage in society – an idea that he does not agree with. I believe that Smith would agree with the fact that is a minimum wage law in place, but I do not think he would be happy with the amount that it is at. Seven dollars and fifteen cents is just not enough to live happily without worry or start a family. Smith argues that the poor people do not get an equal chance at a good paying job as the wealthier people do. He explains the reason for this is that poorer people have to get a job – a minimum wage job – as young as they can to start making money. The chances for this person getting a higher paying job are rare because these people enter their jobs at a young age and generally continue working instead of pursuing their education – which would ensure more money. Smith argues that in a way these people are “stuck”. Smith writes, “That trade, too, is generally so simple and uniform as to give little exercise to the understanding, while, at the same time, their labor is both so constant and severe, that it leaves them little leisure and less inclination to apply to, or even to think of, anything else” (39). People working at minimum wage today are in the same boat, and Smith believes that this is just not fair, while other people are living luxurious lives without a worry in the world.