A heated discussion that only gained momentum in 2014 concerns the topic of the minimum wage and whether or not it is necessary to increase it. Both the state and federal levels of government are trying to push for an increase in the minimum wage, effectively increasing the amount people can earn, especially those in the lower class. Once again, at both the state and federal levels, they are facing varying levels of opposition, who disagree with the proposed number, or any increase in general. Considering the upcoming bill in the Massachusetts legislature about raising the minimum wage, this is an issue that could potentially affect my future, and numerous others, both in my state and the country as a whole. Therefore I believe that the minimum wage should be increased, resulting in a lower poverty rate and greater stability for the lower working class. With the election of President Obama in 2008, the minimum wage discussion finally opened at the national and federal levels. When he took office, the nation's average minimum wage was seven dollars and twenty-five cents, which he hoped would increase to nine dollars. The president wants to raise the minimum wage for numerous reasons, but one of the main reasons is the one used during the introduction of the minimum wage in the United States. In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which set the minimum wage at 25 cents an hour. The reason for this action is the same as in 1938, to ensure that workers could get a decent wage they could live on. A recent trend is that workers' productivity has increased, but their wages remain the same and corporate profits have skyrocketed. As noted by Time magazine......half of the paper......BlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zc2Mmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU=Khan, S. (2013, February 21). The Promise of More: Why We Should Raise the Minimum Wage. Time, Retrieved from http://ideas.time.com/2013/02/21/the-promise-of-more-why-we-should-raise-the-minimum-wage/Leah, B., Harold, W ., Hill, E., & Kimberly, F. (2006). Economic well-being and where we live: Accounting for geographic differences in the cost of living in the United States. Urban Studies, 43 (13), 2443-2466. Extracted from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=41&sid=f19922de-4bb4-40ec-9ebc-d3bf62fda542@sessionmgr111&hid=114&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1z c2Mmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZlJnNjb3BlPXNpdGU=Schoenberg, S. (2014, May 1). Massachusetts Senate advances minimum wage legislation once again. Retrieved from http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/05/massachusetts_senate_advances.html