Summary

Sanders begins his discussion on repairing the U.S. economy by addressing the need to raise the federal minimum wage. He criticizes the U.S. government’s inability to see they have changed the minimum wage to what Sanders calls a “starvation wage” (218). The rising cost of education, health care, and basic goods have trapped minimum wage workers in a cycle of poverty. Sander suggests that increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour will increase the purchasing power of U.S. citizens, and ultimately stimulate the economy. His belief is that a living wage will also “lead to more social cohesion and a reduction in crime” (228), because more opportunities and less stress will appease the need to commit crimes to survive. Finally, Sanders argues that increasing the federal minimum wage will lead to healthier infants and children as well.

Continuing to...