Revised Introduction

This post has the goal of coming up with a new introduction. I am throwing the old one out and coming up with a completely new one to better introduce my rhetorical analysis.

My revised introduction is more successful because it follows the points laid out in Student's Guide, and it also avoids the traps. My original intro fell into the trap of opening with a sweeping generalization. I talked too much about the controversy and not enough about the rhetorical strategies. My new intro starts with a rhetorical question to hook the reader. It gives a little bit of context about the author, forecasts what the paper will talk about, and has a strong thesis. 

My original introduction:

Because of the constant shifting of the American economy, there is always a need to examine the federal minimum wage. In the article, The Minimum Wage: How Much is too Much, Alan B. Krueger addresses the controversy of how high the minimum wage should be set. There are people in New York who are working just as much as someone in Texas, yet in New York, the minimum wage is not a livable wage because of the high living cost. Increasing the minimum wage will result in consequences. The question that needs to be addressed is, how do we fix the problem without causing more harm than good in the American economy? Looking at the positive and negative consequences of raising the federal minimum wage, Krueger uses strong rhetoric to argue that raising it to $12/ hour would be beneficial but much higher than that would cause more harm than good. This paper will address the rhetorical strategies and situations that Krueger uses to support and persuade his audience. 
My revised introduction:

How much is too much? When people in the media address the minimum wage controversy, cultural context typically fuels the emotion behind the belief. Alan B. Kreuger, an economics professor at Princeton University, writes the article, The Minimum Wage: How Much is too Much, on the New York Times to explain the controversy from the viewpoint of an economist. He argues that raising the minimum wage to $12/ hour over the course of several years will not have a negative effect on the American economy. Through the use of his credibility and logical appeals, Krueger effectively persuades his audience through rhetorical strategies and situations that raising the minimum wage higher than $12/ hour would cause more harm than good.