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The Spill: Is $15 an Hour Entry Level?

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By:  |  March 1, 2021  |    636 Words
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(Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Will Entry Level Jobs Now Start at $15 an Hour?

The fight to raise the minimum wage in the United States has been a hotly debated issue for years. But it appears the COVID-19 stimulus bill might finally get it done. An important part of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 economic package had been an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Many people argue that entry-level jobs aren’t about feeding a family of five; they’re designed to add revenue for kids and seniors. Those who support the $15 wage say many people can only work entry-level jobs and should be paid a livable wage.

But there are many factors to consider. If a worker lives in a large city, $15 an hour makes much more sense: The cost of living is much higher.  In small towns and rural areas, the cost of living is much lower, and a lower wage will work.

Another thing to consider is whether companies can or will pay it. If the minimum wage gets high enough that small businesses can’t afford employees, then minimum wage employees will go from $7.25 an hour to $0 an hour. People who don’t have jobs don’t get paid!

The State of The Union – Will We Have One?

Nearly every year, the president delivers the State of the Union address, a speech that updates Americans on the status of the nation. The Constitution requires that the president give Congress this update from time to time. It doesn’t require that it’s done as a speech or that it’s done every year. However, the tradition for many years has been an in-person speech every year.

Incoming presidents are not required to deliver a State of the Union, but most do address America in a somewhat less formal fashion in one way or another. History tells us they call that speech “an address to the joint session of Congress.” The past also tells us that since the first one, it has been done either in late January or some time in February.

Mr. Biden had scheduled such an address, but he then canceled it, saying he wants to deliver a COVID-19 relief bill first. The bill he refers is a $1.9 trillion relief package that includes funding for a lot of other projects. That bill passed the House of Representatives 219 to 212. Every Republican, along with two Democrats, voted against the legislation. Now, it is the Senate’s responsibility.

Some have argued there is more to talk about than COVID-19, such as the economy, healthcare, climate – all of which are on most Americans’ minds. Since February has come and gone, will Biden even deliver a speech to let people know what his administration has been up to these past several weeks?

Teenagers With Gargantuan Appetites

Teenagers in general are known for having large appetites. But when they turn aggressive about food, the species may be destined for extinction. Well, that’s according to a recently released study published in Science, but the teenagers they are talking about are dinosaurs.

Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist, acknowledged that there is now proof where there was once theory. There weren’t many midsize dinos “because the juveniles and teenagers and subadults of the big beastly dinosaurs were hoarding those niches.”

The study shows the disparity between modern and prehistoric carnivore communities. For instance, in the African Savannah in today’s world, we see a range of body sizes from mongoose upwards to the lion – all have a sustainable food group of prey. In carnivorous dinosaur communities, there was no middle group. The absence of a middle group is explained as such: Giant adults begin as hatchlings but soon grow into ravenous teens. There is no toddler T-Rex, and there just wasn’t enough food to go around for other mid-sized meat-eaters.

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