Final letter to the editor

Brandon Smith

English 015

2-14-19

Letter to the Editor

The issue I will be responding to is minimum wage (https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2019/02/pennsylvania-in-dire-need-of-a-minimum-wage-increase-opinion.html)

LTE #1

Dear Editor,

While reading through your article on pennlive about wanting to raise the minimum wage to $15/hr I would like to respectfully disagree with you. As a college student reading this you would think that I would want the minimum wage to be increased, but I am part of the population that disagrees with you. Allow me to explain why I think this way. 

Firstly, I believe minimum wage is just supposed to be a start for a first job for high school and college students. It is not supposed to be something that you are able to support a family on. That is why we have college, so we can further our education and get a job that pays well, and you are able to support your family. Do I think $7.25 is low? In some cases, yes, I do because of how much gets taken out in taxes. It really doesn’t require much energy flipping burgers at McDonalds and many of the times they are going to mess up your order.  Like I stated before, minimum wage is not going to allow you to support a family. 

I would also like to add that if people don’t like the pay they are receiving they can find other jobs that pay over minimum wage. People just can’t be lazy and need to get out there and look for other jobs. 

Sincerely, 

Brandon

LTE #2

Dear Editor,

As we get into the future there are many companies that are starting to put in automated systems in their business that will take jobs away from people who work them. Take Wawa for instance, they have computerized kiosks where you are able to order your own food. And there are two people behind the counter making the food. If the minimum wage is increased, you will most likely see that other fast food restaurants will want to implement that to their business if wages are increased by the government. If I was in the place of many of the executives and we needed to find ways to save money the first thing I would do is get these kiosks because it will be inexpensive. It will cut the costs of salaries and you don’t have to pay the people who want to get paid $15/hr. 

“Moves”

1.   I added in that people should not support a family on minimum wage.

Why? Minimum wage is something to start at and you’re not supposed to support a family.

2.   I said college is a way to get away from minimum wage.

Why? When you get a degree from college it opens many doors and can get you a higher paying job

3.   Companies are putting in computerized kiosks and getting rid of employees.

Why? These kiosks are a lot cheaper for the companies and the bring down the liability of someone getting hurt.

4.   I did say the wage should be raised just not to $15/hr.

Why? Sure, the wage is low but that is why there are other jobs. Take me for instance where I work I am getting paid over minimum wage.

5.   I also said people should not be lazy and find a different job.

Why? People today don’t want to work for their money they just want it to be handed to them. You need to get out there and work for the things you want and show that you deserve what you want and how much you think you are worth.

Metacognition Reflection

            While completing this assignment the reason that I wanted to write about minimum wage is because it is something that I think is a hot topic in todays society. Almost every time I turn on the tv or open the news on my phone there is usually something about a state wanting or trying to raise its minimum wage. As someone who really values a college education and getting the chance to do the most with your life and being successful minimum wage should just be a place to start. Too many people want to just sit back and be lazy and not work for their money. Many people are living off food stamps and government programs not because they aren’t being paid a lot, but because they made the mistake not to want to continue their education or to work harder to prove that they deserve that raise. People also made the mistake of starting a family when they were not financially able to support their family. I chose Penn live because it is a news source that I personally think is very reliable. Other papers that I thought about choosing from was the Philadelphia inquirer, or the New York times.

            During this assignment we had to write in two different perspectives. Doing this allowed me to get different ideas rolling and I was able to think differently as to who I wanted to talk to for each letter and how their life could be impacted by what I was writing about. While completing this assignment we were able to read many different types of letters to the editors. Reading these examples allowed me to us them as a guide line as to what to include in mine. I was able to think who was going to be the people reading these letters. Also, I was able argue why I thought what I thought was better than the way other people thought.

            When it comes to the rhetorical situation it really helped me in writing these letters. It made me think about who the people were that I wanted to read this letter. I also was able to think about the final goal of these letters and that was to be able persuade people to think differently about raising the minimum wage. 

Brandon Smith

WP1 Draft #1: 
Determining the Rhetorical Situations to Write Our LTEs

The Rhetorical Situation	Your Letter to the Editor #1	Your Letter to the Editor #2
Exigence: What prompted the writer’s need to communicate in this particular text?  What’s the urgency behind the need to enact this genre?  Why this, why now?  What event/moment sparked the creation of this text?	The writer wanted to explain why the minimum wage should be increased. They think it is too low and should be raised immediately. They argue that it cannot support a family. The event that sparked this is Pennsylvania is wanting to raise the minimum wage to 12/hr and later to 15/hr by 2024.	Minimum wage should be increased
Writer: Who is the writer?   What do we know about them?  What’s their name?  Are they affiliated with a particular organization/company?  What’s their role/position?	The writer is Austin Davis (state rep). We know that he is a state rep and wants the wage increased. They are part of the Pa house of representatives.	State representative.
Primary/Intended Audience: Who is the intended/primary audience for this genre?  Is it addressed to a particular person?  If so, what’s their name, what organization/company are they affiliated with, and what’s their position/role?  Is it a group?  If so, what’s their organizational mission and/or identity?	The audience for this genre is government officials, people working minimum wage and people who support to raise the minimum wage.	People who think the minimum wage should not be increased.
Secondary/Peripheral Audience:  What additional peripheral/secondary audiences might play a role in how we can understand this genre?  Might other people be interested in the message that’s being communicated?  Could the writer have additional people in mind beyond the specific person(s) that they’ve contacted?  Who else could be “at stake” regarding the ideas embedded within this text?	Other audience could be companies that already pay employees over minimum wage. People that could be at stake with this wage increase are the very people that want it raised. They could become too expensive and lose their jobs	People at stake could also be companies because if people don’t like what they are getting paid they could leave that job
Writer’s Purpose/Goal: What’s the writer’s goal?  What are they trying to achieve?  What outcome(s) do they hope that this piece of communication achieves?	The writer’s goal is to get the attention of people to raise the minimum wage to which I disagree with.	To persuade that minimum wage should not be raised.
Context/Background Info: What additional information is necessary to make the most sense of this rhetorical situation?  Is there any sort of history between the writer/audience?  Have any recent political or cultural changes shaped this particular text in any noteworthy?  Is there a current “hot topic” that’s circulating throughout the news cycle that makes this communication more/less urgent?	There have been many states that have already raised the minimum wage to 15/hr. They want it to be implemented in Pennsylvania by 2024.	Pennsylvania is one of the many states that does not require companies to pay above minimum wage.