Dec. 19, 2006 Vol. 35 Issue 6


Editorial: Working in high school provides many benefits
By Daniel Weilert, jr.
For the Editorial Board

Working provides many positive aspects for all students and prepares them for any obstacles life has to offer.

Several students gain responsibility and awareness when working as a teenager. Another good aspect for working is receiving enough money to buy what they desire.

Students should figure out where they wish to work before they jump into a job that they really cannot stand.

What environment they want to work in is another question students need to ask themselves. Sometimes a student is perfectly happy at whatever business they are employed in, and others tend to hop from business to business.


Cartoon by Haley Huffman

Planning is very important and finding out salaries from a list of possible jobs is also vital.

Working as a teenager also prepares students for providing for themselves instead of depending on other people and can teach them the value of saving. Teens usually use or save their hard-earned money to buy what they want or need from a car to a gaming console to clothes.

In future years, students might be glad that they were working because they have a much-improved sense of responsibility and stamina to carry on their labors.

Student jobs can also be great for those who are often bored at home. After students finish their homework and have nothing else to do, they can get out of the house and help their community or earn wages at a job.

There are wide ranges of jobs that students can search through. Particular working conditions may be suited to the student’s benefit.

Improved lives will await high school students who know what kind of occupation they want to go into.

Minimum wage too low (Pro)
By Katie Hauser, sr.
Editor-in-Chief

As the new year approaches, many people are looking to the government for changes. One possible topic on Congress’s agenda this year is increasing minimum wage. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $5.15 per hour, although some states have a higher minimum wage than that. As legislation moves forward, businesses and wage earners will no doubt see different sides.

Many reasons exist for raising minimum wage. Although the current level is fine for teens looking for a little extra money to go to the movies or to go shopping, those people hardly qualify as a majority of workers. Even teens have reasons for needing more money than they can currently earn; one major reason being funding for college. As tuition costs rise, students have to pay more for their education, and income from minimum wage does not add up quickly.

For people who are out on their own, paying bills can be difficult if they are only earning minimum wage. They can survive with what they have, but any unforeseen event, such as a car breaking down, can cause major problems. Also, since few minimum wage jobs offer insurance, medical bills can become another expense they may not be able to afford.

Business owners may argue that raising minimum wage will be a strain on their bottom line. While that will probably be the case, they should find a way to work around it. Employees need to have more financial security than they have under the minimum wage as it is now. After all, they are working to support themselves, and possibly a family, and the government should recognize how much work they are putting in and give them more compensation for their time.

Raising minimum wage will raise prices (Con)
By Haley Huffman jr.
Feature Editor, cartoonist

Congress is considering raising the minimum wages by $1.50, from $5.15 to $6.65 per hour. Raising minimum wages for employees may not be completely helpful for everyone.

Many of the smaller businesses especially, will have to make changes in order to pay their employees the extra money.

If these businesses are required to pay their employees more money in wages, then they will have to raise the prices of their products they sell so that they can make more money to pay their workers.

Merchandise will be more costly and expensive, which would not be so bad if you are getting paid more, but not everyone will receive that raise. Employees that already receive more than minimum wages may not get more money when minimum wages are raised. So, what they are used to getting will be all they have, only things will cost more for them.

Also, waiters and waitresses or other employees who do not get minimum wages to begin with will not be getting any more money than they normally do, but will have to pay more for items.

A higher minimum wage may simply cause some businesses, especially small businesses, to have to layoff some employees if they cannot pay all their workers.

People may lose jobs over a raise in minimum wages, simply because the business cannot afford to pay all their employees more money. Also, ones that remain employed at the business may not get to work as many hours as normal, so they would not really be getting more money.

Some students are working to have experience and a little extra money on them, but by raising minimum wages, bosses will be forced to pay them more, even if they are inexperienced or have few skills in the job. That may lead to unemployment or simply less hours.

Review: New clothing store great fit for area
By Christy Splechter, fr.
Reporter

Clothes Encounter is a new store that opened up in Chanute on Nov. 18. Maranda Collins, owner, started purchasing clothes in September and preparing the building in October. It took several months to prepare the store but she had plenty of help by friends and family, including Humboldt High School students Michaela Myer and Chelsy Wright, srs.

“ What gave me the idea of opening the store was I love clothes and jewelry and I wanted to give Chanute and the surrounding communities a unique shopping experience,” said Collins.

They sell trendy woman’s junior, misses, and plus size clothing and accessories at affordable prices.

I believe Clothes Encounter is doing a very good job at this. An average pair of jeans costs $25, while an average shirt costs $16, and a piece of jewelry is around $6.

Clothes Encounter is a really nice place and it is a great place for teenage and adult woman to shop without having to spend a lot of money. The clothes are really cute and the jewelry is too.

When I went there, I saw a lot of nice shirts, over shirts and jeans to make outfits out of.

Even though I usually do not wear chunky bracelets and earrings and necklaces, the ones at Clothes Encounter are really cute but still versatile enough to wear with either a dress up outfit or a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

They have really nice coats and jackets to match a lot of shirts. The jeans would match almost every one of the shirts.

I think it is a great store and I think everybody would love it. They have clothes to fit every style from dressy, to classy, to everyday clothes for lounging.

Clothes Encounter is located on 214 W. Main in Chanute, Kansas. It is open Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:00 until 6:00 p.m.

Cub Voices

Do you think minimum wage should be raised? Why or Why not?

Mark Valentine, sr., “Sure I think that minimum wage should be raised even though it does not apply to me becuase I make more than that.”
Rickie Blanchard, jr., “Minimum wage should be raised because the economy has raised and minimum wage has not.”
   
Heather Bosler, so., “Yes, I think minimum wage should be raised because then my boyfriend would make more money.”
Michelle Scovill, fr., “The minimum wage should be raised because waitresses need to get paid better.”
   

Eric Carlson, Social Science instructor, “Yes and No, raising minimum wage makes the economy less efficient. However, it does provide more equity to all people. These are both goals of economics. Not raising minimum wage will keep teenagers from getting jobs that they would only work because they were paid more.”

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