The minimum wage: the bare minimum"They work hard every day; they stock the shelves in our stores, they wash the dishes in our restaurants, they clean our offices at night, they take care for our children during the day…They share minimum wage and they need a raise and, as you saw, they deserve a raise” (Clinton). President Clinton made this speech on the South Lawn of the White House at 10:30 a.m. on March 8, 2000. He supported enacting the minimum wage increase. He supported the people of the United States who worked at the federal minimum wage. But was his argument feasible? Would it be practical to raise the federal minimum wage from its current status of $5.15 an hour to $6.15 an hour? President Roosevelt established the first minimum wage on June 25, 1938. He created a law that made it illegal for employers to pay their workers wages below 0.25 cents an hour. Although this law made things easier for workers, businesses and industries of the time found themselves with a lower money supply and a higher demand from workers. Economists predicted that the Great Depression (already in its ninth year) would worsen and that Roosevelt would lose popularity among his peers. We didn't know that Roosevelt lost 80 seats in the House that year, and the Depression got worse (Folsom). Now, the economy of the minimum wage increase has seen many more positive effects, or 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 point in 30 years” (Clinton). The numbers appear to be all right to raise 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. The minimum wage causes the most pain. “Mackinac Center for Public Policy.” [online].Available:1 June 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 hike 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. The minimum wage is lousy economics. “The Mackinac Center for Public Policy.” [online] Available: March 5, 1990.