It is a constitutional violation for any other body other than the United States Congress to make a law. Article 1 section 1 of the constitution candidly outlines that “all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consists of the Senate and House of Representatives” (Smith, Roberts, & Vander Wielen, 2013). Therefore, this proves that it is only the Congress that can make any federal law through legislation. No other entity or person can purport to possess similar powers.
Although raising the minimum wage seems like a valid point at face value, it will not solve the economic situation of the country. First, a higher minimum wage will have implications because it will deny people the incentive to acquire more valuable skills. Secondly, when the Congress raises the minimum wage, it will only have created a similar situation at a different level (Manning, 2012). The cost of living will possibly skyrocket to a whole new level that the minimum wage will not satisfy. As companies will be in an increased pressure to meet the wage demands, more people will lose their jobs only retaining the most productive people (Meer, & West, 2016).
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The ethical framework that argues in favor of raising the minimum wage is the fairness and justice approach. Raising the minimum wage plays a significant role in alleviating people from poverty. It promotes equality and fairness in the society as people enjoy similar economic viability (Colquitt, & Rodell, 2015). Furthermore, it puts people in an increasingly better position to pay their bills in the wake of the ever-heightening cost of living. On the contrary, the utilitarianism would argue against increasing the minimum wage. Utilitarianism focuses on maximizing good and reducing harm (Hayry, 2013). Increasing minimum wage only maximizes harm by piling pressure on employers, increasing rates of unemployment, and possibly causing the closure of a business entity.
References
Colquitt, J. A., & Rodell, J. B. (2015). Measuring justice and fairness. Oxford handbook of justice in the workplace , 187 , 202.
Hayry, M. (2013). Liberal utilitarianism and applied ethics . Routledge.
Manning, A. (2012). Minimum Wage: maximum impact. Resolution Foundation .
Meer, J., & West, J. (2016). Effects of the minimum wage on employment dynamics. Journal of Human Resources , 51 (2), 500-522.
Smith, S. S., Roberts, J. M., & Vander Wielen, R. J. (2013). The American Congress . Cambridge University Press.
