Letter to the editor: Minimum wage will hurt young, poor

Yet again Democrats seek to increase the minimum wage. But that is a bad idea because it will hurt those it is supposed to help.

If the minimum wage were raised to $15 an hour, those already making $15, $20 and up would need raises also. These raises would drastically increase the cost of living for all. By the time the raises work their way through the economy, the poor will be right back where they started.

Moreover, raising the minimum wage would likely force employers to eliminate additional entry-level positions by automating. There will be more self-serve checkout lines in supermarkets, and fast-food restaurants are already experimenting with self-serve ordering to eliminate order-takers. Do we really want to take away jobs from those who desperately need them?

Liberals want us to believe that those working minimum-wage jobs are supporting families, but that is not true. Minimum-wage jobs are overwhelmingly filled by young people who need to acquire jobs skills to move up to better positions. Most work at minimum wage for less than a year. Removing more entry-evel jobs only reduces opportunities for young and poor people.

Raising the minimum wage is another scheme concocted by liberals to win votes while hurting us all in the long run.

Dave Majernik

Plum