Solved by verified expert:I am uploading two documents. One will be the argumentative paper and the other is the evaluation questions based on the paper draft. I need you to critique this paper and give constructive feedback for each question. Please provide three- five sentences for each question. Focus more so on the argument than grammar. The feedback must be constructive feedback.
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Adam Lane
Critical Thinking
Argumentative Paper – First Draft
The issue at hand is whether or not the minimum rate wage should be increased. I do believe
minimum wage should be raised. However this should be done with consideration and some
exceptions for small businesses. It would not be reasonable to hold local mom and pop
operations that are the backbone of many communities to the same standards as billion dollar
corporations. First I will explain the negative impact the current minimum wage rate has on our
economy. Next, I will argue the idea that increasing minimum wage would create unemployment
issues and explain how this can be avoided. Then, I will discuss why I believe there should be an
exception for small businesses. Finally, I will conclude with an analysis of how minimum wage
has not kept up with labor productivity in the last several decades.
This topic has been at the forefront of many political debates in recent years. Although it is a
matter of economics, politics is where the true barrier lies in bringing a resolution. Most basic
economic principles support the idea of increasing minimum wage. Higher wages would lead to
decreases in poverty and inequality as well as an increase in consumer confidence. Currently
minimum wage stands at $7.25 per hour and has not changed in almost a decade. In recent years
there has been a push by Democratic Party members to increase the wage to $10.10. 1 This
proposal has been met with stiff opposition from the Republican Party. When I think of
minimum wage I think of my late teenage years or even the early stages of being an adult
working right out of high school. However according to the bureau of labor statistics more than
half of all minimum wage workers are over the age of 25 and nearly one fourth of that number
1
The Editorial Board, The New York Times, February 8, 2014 The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage
are parents. 2 In 2016 the average cost of childcare was $196 per week and rent averages around
$1200 per month.3 This means that without even considering income tax and medical benefits a
person working full time would need no less than $12.40 an hour to simply meet the cost of day
care for one child and maintain a roof over their head. If we are not requiring that our citizens get
paid enough to cover the most basic needs how can we expect to build and maintain a thriving
economy long term?
Here I will address the conservative’s argument that higher wages will have a negative impact
on the job market. There is the belief that raising wages will make it more expensive for
companies to hire, in turn causing an increase in unemployment.4 Rather than encouraging work
over welfare, their solution is to steer money into low income households by way of expanding
the earned income tax credit. This is a refundable tax credit for low to moderate income
individuals and couples, particularly those with children.5 So let’s dissect this proposed solution.
While increasing the tax credit may provide short term relief it doesn’t do anything for the big
picture. It encourages people to remain complacent and rely on welfare because they are
ultimately better off than they would be working 40 hours per week only to remain below the
poverty line, whereas higher wages encourage people to seek employment. In turn they will
develop skills and trades that over time will allow them to progress and increase earning
potential. Thus, ultimately having a better chance to escape poverty altogether. Another
challenge with an increase in the earned income tax credit is the fact that there is a cost
2
BLS Reports, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2017
3
Kerri Anne Renzulli, Time, August 9, 2016 This Is How Much the Average American Spends on Child Care
4
Kevin A. Hasset and Michael R. Strain, The LA Times, March 10, 2013 The minimum wage debate
5
The Editorial Board, The New York Times, February 8, 2014 The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage
associated with it. Meaning the government would either have to raise taxes on everyone else,
increase their debt or spend money.6 Increased wages requires none of the above.
As a final point to further challenge the idea that higher wages would create unemployment I
would ask to take into consideration the tremendous separation in pay between chief executives
and average workers. In 2014 it was reported that average pay ratio of CEO to median worker
was 204 to 1 with many chief executives making up to 1000 times more than employees. David
Zaslav CEO of Discovery Communications earned just over $156 million. Compared to the
salary of the average employee within the company his salary could account for approximately
1,600 jobs.7
In this section I will discuss why although I believe minimum wage does need to increase, I also
feel we would being doing a disservice to our economy as a whole if we did not take small
businesses into consideration. Our nation’s largest employer is Wal-Mart. They employ
approximately 1.2 million workers in the US.8 In recent years they have raised wages. Initially
the rate was changed from minimum wage to $9 per hour and most recently $11 as of last month.
Wal-Mart’s annual revenue is in the neighborhood of $480 billion a year. Moving wages by
almost $4.00 per hour for every employee in the company still only cost the corporation less than
2 percent of that revenue. While this is certainly a trend in the right direction for large businesses
it may be unrealistic to expect a new or small business to follow suit. I believe having a structure
6
The Editorial Board, The New York Times, February 8, 2014 The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage
7
Jenny Che, HuffPost, August 27th 2015Here’s How Outrageous The Pay Gap Between CEOs and Workers Is
8
Alexander E.M. Hess, 24/7 Wall St via USA Today, August 22, 2013 The 10 Largest Employers in America
in place that only allows a business to pay minimum wage based on their tax bracket would help
address this. It would also require large corporations to reinvest in their employees with some of
the additional earnings that have been added to their bottom line as a result of the recent tax
breaks they receive under our new tax plan. One may argue that this could present a challenge in
small businesses ability to attract talented or skilled workers but I beg to differ. Working for a
new or small business can offer perks, opportunities and flexibility that you don’t get with major
corporations. In addition there are many suburban and rural areas that simply don’t have any ties
to big businesses. I think having a scale in place to prevent major corporations that are seeing
billions of dollars in revenue from taking advantage of cheap labor while allowing the local
business owner to operate without fear of not being able to hire adequate help is the ideal
scenario for this issue.
In closing I would like to highlight the simple fact that while corporate profits and labor
productivity have continued to increase over the years wages in general have not kept pace. In
fact since inception minimum wage hit its peak 50 years ago in 1968. At that time the purchasing
power was equivalent to what $9.40 was in 2013. Since then inflation has been significantly
higher than the rate of pay increases. Minimum wage has fallen to about a third of the average
salaries of the typical American worker. The current average wage sits just about $20 per hour
however statistics show that had average wages kept pace with productivity gains the average
pay would be about $36 dollars with minimum wage at half of that or $18.9
9
The Editorial Board, The New York Times, February 8, 2014 The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage
It is difficult to expect that we will be able to maintain a thriving economy when half of our work
force is at or below the poverty line, consumer confidence is low, and our government is more
interested in spending tax dollars to encourage its citizens who are living in poverty that it is
more beneficial to be dependent on aid than it is to go out and work. There are more than enough
reports and statistics to support the idea that increasing wages will in fact boost the economy
with very little to no impact on the job market.
Sources:
Alexander E.M. Hess, 24/7 Wall St via USA Today, August 22, 2013
The 10 Largest Employers in America
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/08/22/ten-largest-employers/2680249/
Jenny Che, HuffPost, August 27th 2015
Here’s How Outrageous The Pay Gap Between CEOs and Workers Is
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ceo-worker-pay-gap_us_55ddc3c7e4b0a40aa3acd1c9
The Editorial Board, The New York Times, February 8, 2014
The Case for a Higher Minimum Wage
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/09/opinion/sunday/the-case-for-a-higher-minimumwage.html
Kevin A. Hasset and Michael R. Strain, The LA Times, March 10, 2013
The minimum wage debate
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/10/opinion/la-oe-hassett-the-case-against-the-minimumwage-20130310
BLS Reports, Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 2017
https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2016/home.htm#table1
Kerri Anne Renzulli, Time, August 9, 2016
This Is How Much the Average American Spends on Child Care
http://time.com/money/4444034/average-cost-child-care/
Evaluating Your Partner’s Draft
Your Name: Insert your name here.
Your Partner’s Name: Insert your partner’s name here.
Instructions: Remember from the “Partner Draft Evaluation Instructions: Evaluating Your
Partner’s Paper” website (and please review it, if you do not): (1) give constructive feedback—
how you comment is important, not just what you comment; (2) focus on argument primarily, not
grammar; (3) focus on helping your partner achieve incremental improvements, even if their
draft is lightyears behind or ahead of yours—everyone can improve at the margins.
With that in mind, evaluate, comment upon, and constructively offer feedback on the following
aspects of your partner’s paper draft:
The Introduction
1. Does the introduction briefly introduce the topic of the paper? Is too much
space spent on a needlessly “fluffy” introduction with excess filler or frill? Should
some of the introductory material be moved to exposition of background
information or elaboration of other authors’ views after the introduction? Or is the
introductory material sufficiently concise and well-tailored?
Click or tap here to enter comments on the introduction of your partner’s draft.
2. The thesis statement (i.e. the conclusion or what the paper is arguing for): does
the paper articulate a clear and precise thesis statement that is easily identifiable,
placed in the introduction? Is the thesis statement presented in a novel or
illuminating way? Could the thesis statement be made clearer– does it suffer
from vagueness, ambiguity or imprecision? Does the thesis statement seem like
it can be realistically argued for in the confines of a short argumentative paper-i.e. does the thesis, perhaps, claim too much? Is it an overstatement, pitched in
an overconfident, unrealistic manner? Or does the thesis seem reasonable and
realistic in its ambitions?
Click or tap here to enter comments on the thesis statement of your partner’s draft.
3. Does the introduction contain a clear roadmap or plan for structuring the paper’s
argument? That is, does the author make it evident and unambiguous, in the
introduction, how he or she plans to argue for the conclusion/thesis in the
paper? In what ways might this roadmap be improved?
Click or tap here to enter comments on the argumentative plan/roadmap of your partner’s
draft.
1
The Body of the Paper
Exposition of Background Information on Topic / Use of Sources
1. Is there a clear and precise exposition and explanation of the topic/issue being
addressed and the ideas/concepts involved therein? Does the paper analyze or
break down these matters illuminatingly or creatively/originally?
Click or tap here to enter comments on your partner’s exposition of the topic and relevant
background information.
2. Does the paper provide a clear & charitable interpretation of the relevant sections
of other authors’/sources’ work, including those parts you the paper is
arguing against? Does the paper refrain from presenting straw-man version of
others’ views, but rather treats others’ views charitably–even those the author of
the paper disagrees with–rendering others’ arguments in as strong a manner as
possible? Are other authors’ views rendered faithfully, accurately, and insightfully
(and perhaps even creatively)?
Click or tap here to enter comments on the clarity and fairness of your partner’s presentation
and interpretation of other authors’ work.
3. Does the paper integrate at least two sources into their argument
successfully? Are you able to understand and follow the way in which these
sources are mentioned and used? Or is it difficult to follow how they are
invoked? Is there too little or too much detail spent introducing these
sources? Were the ways in which these sources appealed to and used within
the paper actually successful and helpful for the author’s argument? Do the
points made using these sources fit within the flow of the paper in a natural
way? Or does it seem as if the author is straining merely to “check the box” on
the assignment of fitting in references to other sources? Are ideas from different
sources and the authors’ own thoughts combined together in a creative,
original, thoughtful, and/or insightful manner?
Click or tap here to enter comments on the quality and coherence of your partner’s use of
outside sources.
4. Are sources and other authors’ ideas cited where they are actually used in the
paper (as they should be)? Or is there just a general list of “Works Cited” at the
end, which itself is insufficient for proper attribution and citation? Does the
author of the paper provide enough detail in citations/attributions for you to
actually find out where she or he is drawing the idea or material from?
Click or tap here to enter comments on your partner’s use of citations.
2
Argument
1. Is it clear how the arguments, reasons, and considerations presented in the
paper support the conclusion? That is, what is the inferential/argumentative
structure of the paper? The inferential/argumentative structure of the paper
should not be a guessing game: it should be straightforward how the pieces of
the argument/paper fit together in support of the paper’s thesis/conclusion. Is this
argumentative structure clear and evident? (Could you diagram the argument
and tell how each premise worked to support conclusion–e.g. which is a
conjoint/dependent and which is an independent premise, and which work in a
horizontal and which in a vertical pattern?) If not, what vagueness or imprecision
might mar its structure, and in what ways might it be improved so that matters
are more apparent and easy to follow?
Click or tap here to enter comments on the quality of the argumentative structure of your
partner’s paper draft.
2.
Are the considerations or reasons–i.e. the premises–presented in favor of the
author’s thesis (or against opposing positions), as clear, precise, and strong
as they can be? How might they be improved? Is the argument at all original
and creative, or does it merely copy the contours of the argument presented by
one of its sources? Are the claims pitched at an appropriate/reasonable level of
strength, or are they overstatements in need of tempering and qualification or
understatements in need of further force? Are there any notable argumentative
fallacies within the reasoning and arguments presented?
Click or tap here to enter comments on the quality of the reasoning in your partner’s paper
draft.
3. Does the paper use plausible examples, details, illustrations, and/or cases to
support its position? Are these examples at all original and/or creative? Do
these examples (or etc.) provide strong considerations in favor of the points
being made? Are there ways in which some of the examples or illustrations
might be improved upon in their descriptions–e.g. are some details irrelevant, are
some connections too strained? Are the better examples in the vicinity that could
make the same point better or more forcefully?
Click or tap here to enter comments on your partner’s use of detail and examples.
3
4. It is more than likely that the argument the author presents in the paper
is inductive (please think about why this is: it is highly implausible that anyone
could establish the necessity rather than the likelihood of their conclusion about
any of these paper topics). Given this, we know how to evaluate the argument
presented in the paper: by the standards of assessment for inductive
arguments; namely, by the relative strength (or weakness) of the argument, and
by its cogency (or uncogency)?
o Assessing Strength: Does the argument provided strongly support the
conclusion–i.e. do the premises, if they were true, themselves provide
reason to think the conclusion more probable than not? If not, might
the premises be improved or added to in order to make the argument
strong? How so? If so, could the argument be made stronger with some
fairly straightforward improvements or additions to the premises? How
so?
o Assessing Cogency: Provided the paper’s argument is sufficiently
strong, is the argument plausible? Are the premises–i.e. the
considerations, reasons, and support provided–true and accurate? Are
we given sufficient reasons to think the premises themselves are true?
Click or tap here to evaluate the strength and cogency of your partner’s arguments.
5. Does the author accurately and explicitly articulate the degree to which her or his
argumentative strategy (i.e. premises and inferences) lends support to the
paper’s conclusion (and include appropriate qualifications as needed)? Or does
the author unrealistically characterize what her or his argument is able to
accomplish? Does the author pass off as deductive (i.e. necessary) what is in
fact inductive (i.e. probable)?
Click or tap here to enter comments on the author’s argumentative self-awareness.
The Conclusion
1. Does the author anticipate, raise, and consider potential, plausible or viable
(obvious and non-obvious) objections or counter-arguments to his or her own
argument and position? How does the author respond: i.e. does he or she have
something intellectually-honest and/or insightful to say in response to such
worries about the view presented in the paper?
Click or tap here to enter comments on your partner’s consideration and response to potential
objections to their views.
4
2. Does the conclusion include any tying up of loose ends or tidying up of
unfinished business, while being on point and as concise as possible? Again,
there should be no excess fluff or frill: it is fine for the conclusion to simply be a
consideration of and response to potential objections, and leave it at
that. Beyond that, the author might wax self-reflective about the actual strength
of her or his own argument for the conclusion, or raise some interesting,
pertinent, or controversial implications of the paper’s argument, a full discussion
of which would fall beyond the scope of the essay.
Click or tap here to enter comments on other aspects of your partner’s conclusion.
Overarching Matters
Organization
1. Does the paper have and follow the argumentative plan and roadmap presented
in the introduction? It is no good to present an argumentative plan for the paper
and then not follow it (or deviate from it)without explanation. Does the paper do
a good job presenting a roadmap and staying on course, or could improvements
be made?
Click or tap here to enter comments on your partner’s faithful implementation of and fidelity
to an argumentative roadmap/plan.
2. Did the roadmap of the paper actually end up being a successful one? Did it
make the paper easy-to-follow? Did it make sense, in the end why the paper
was structured …
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