Should the U.S. have a higher minimum wage?

Project at MIT, identifying costs for families depending on location
http://livingwage.mit.edu/

Internal Revenue Service Average Costs of Food, Clothing, etc.
http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/National-Standards:-Food,-Clothing-and-Other-Items

Average Costs of Food for families, based on the US Dept of Agriculture
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2013/CostofFoodFeb2013.pdf

Rents in Boston
http://www.boston.com/realestate/news/2012/08/14/boston-rents-spiral-even-higher/sxzxKHQWw4uwibbyzGbzyL/story.html



Part 2

Background reading 
http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/12/news/economy/obama-minimum-wage/index.html

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/just-explain-it/just-explain-raising-minimum-wage-142802716.html

Opinion piece in favor of higher minimum wage
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/10/opinion/la-oe-stern-camden-why-we-should-raise-the-minimum-20130310

Opinion piece against/critical higher minimum wage
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/statistical-problem-of-minimum-wage-and-poverty-88824.html

Some statistics to round out the discussion
From Scholastic Upfront Magazine

From the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics

http://www.bls.gov/cps/minwage2011.htm

From Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/31/college-graduates-minimum-wage-jobs_n_2989540.html?utm_hp_ref=business