Minimum Wage (a letter to the editor)

Every human being on the planet has a right to live. No one deserves to endure long hours, multiple jobs, and tiring stress only to barely scrape by. That is why we must raise the minimum wage to a reasonable, livable number. The current national minimum wage of $7.25 was set in 2009. When measured in 2013 dollars, minimum wage has remained relatively the same since 1990. What hasn't remained stagnant are the price of goods and services- the basic cost of living. If the minimum wage rose proportionally to inflation it would be at $11. If it had kept pace with worker productivity it would be about $21. We're not even asking for a number that high.

Contrary to popular belief, 79% of workers on minimum wage are 20+ years old- many working multiple jobs. Besides, perhaps more money for the 21% of teens on minimum wage could help them pay for college without massive student loan debts.

Australia, the only developed country not hit by the recession of 2008, has a minimum wage of US$15.96. Unemployment is 5.9% and cost of living in Australia is between 28-31% higher than America's. However this is more than made up for with a minimum wage more than double our own. Cities in America, especially on the west coast, are increasing their minimum wages in order to combat rising costs of living. It has already helped cities like San Francisco.

This stagnation of minimum wage and simultaneous inflation of the price of goods has only helped those who benefit from the high prices- the wealthy, and corporations. Coupled with unfair tax rates, this has greatly increased the gap between the impoverished and the rich. We liberals are harassed for "hating the rich" and "hating hard work." Many Americans have this mentality that the poor are just not working or trying hard enough- that hard work trumps human rights. These are people suffering from their own environmental predispositions, struggles, and historical setbacks beyond their control. This isn't to say others haven't had their own struggles, merely to point out the fact that a large population of people in this country are suffering at largely disproportionate rates- minorities and urban populations.

We liberals value hard work just as much as conservatives, however we don't value it when it exploits the poor and only seeks greed. Conservatives also hold on to a sense of nostalgia. Then they should certainly support a return to a time like the '40s, '50s, and '60s when wage and price were proportionate and the wealthy were taxed fairly. I personally believe that many strict conservatives lack simple human empathy- an understanding that we are all just humans trying to live and to be happy. Unfortunately, our current system and wage do not allow this for many people. We need a higher minimum wage. We need a fair tax system and less breaks for those benefiting at the expense of others. We need an overhaul of our economic system.