One of the most poignant parts of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address last Tuesday was his statement concerning a minimum wage increase.

The Federal minimum wage has been bumped up several times in the last few years and currently sits at $7.25 an hour. The President’s proposals advocate an increase to around $9.

An increase of over $1 would have a massive impact for those working these jobs.

Minimum wage positions are a cornerstone of American society. Whether it be flipping burgers or cleaning toilets, the people who work these jobs provide a valuable service.

Sometimes, these employees are students or simply working a side-job for a little extra money. However, there are some who have no other option. They deserve a living wage. They should not have to scrounge to make ends meet just because they lack refined skills. While their jobs may be menial, they are vital to a healthy society.

President Obama’s buzzwords in his speech were “the middle class.” He wants to revitalize the middle class as the comfortable-yet-not-filthy-rich backbone of American culture, as it should be.

A minimum wage increase wouldn’t pull all the working poor into the middle class, but it would at least provide a wage that individuals would find to be a little more sustainable.Opponents of a minimum wage increase say that a mandatory wage increase would force companies to lay off some workers in order to pay others the required minimum. The Economist reported last year that chief executives at America’s 350 biggest companies were paid as much as 231 times more than their average employee. Did it ever occur to these opponents that this ratio is extremely imbalanced? Perhaps the CEO needs to be paid a little bit less so that the average worker can be paid enough to survive.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the District of Columbia and 18 states, including Colorado at $7.78 an hour and Washington, which tops the list at $9.19 an hour, already have minimum wages higher than the federally mandated minimum. State economies vary, but a national standard of a living wage would back up statements that our country purports. That someone can live sustainably working our lowest-paying (yet necessary) jobs.

People living paycheck to paycheck would benefit immensely, even if it just means a little extra food in the fridge or gas in the car. And that’s just a little bit more money to inject into an economy struggling to recover.

We pride ourselves on being the holder of such standards that we proliferate in the “American dream.” Our minimum wage should reflect these standards. If someone can’t make an honest and sustainable living on the minimum wage, then it needs to be raised.