Poverty is defined by the U.S. government as the lack of goods and services commonly taken for granted by members of mainstream society. Things like phones, cars and healthcare are all things that could fall into this category.

Across West County, our poverty rate sits at a steady 5%, but that rate takes a big hike up as you get closer to metropolitan St. Louis, where the rate is closer to 30%. So what does that mean? What difference does it make that I have a brand new iPhone and you have a ten-year-old Nokia? Well a high poverty rate means one thing: People get desperate for money. When money becomes an issue for people, that’s when the real problems start.

We hear about desperate people on the news all of the time. People getting mugged, drug dealings and gang violence. It’s very easy to sit back in your nice suburban home with your well paying job and say, “That’s strange. Why would they do that?” There’s little to no understanding between people who are in poverty vs. people who are not in poverty, which only creates inevitable problems and disagreements.

Workers across the nation are demanding a higher minimum wage, many calling for it to be raised to as much as $15. These outraged workers come from all kinds of entry level jobs, but McDonalds employees seem to be leading the argument.

McDonalds currently has a net worth of $90.3 billion. They serve an average of 69 million people every day and they run over 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. alone. Giving their employees a higher government enforced minimum wage would not kill the company. But what would it do to the economy?

If the minimum wage is put at a reasonable amount, then it could bring a great financial benefit to the U.S. Not only would it pull some people out of poverty, but it could potentially decrease the amount of violence in the city, seeing as how people wouldn’t be taking as many desperate measures for money.

However, if the minimum wage is set too high, it could destroy the economy. The entire system of payment would have to be restructured, because people with entry-level jobs would be making the same amount as people working jobs that required school or formal training. It would create a domino effect of people demanding higher wages.

The minimum wage should most definitely be raised, but $15 is outrageous. $10 is much more reasonable, and it would keep the economy safe.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Parkway School District.