To the Editor:
I’m afraid I’m going to look like a scrooge, especially in comparison to Father Ron Rolheiser’s as usual excellent piece, but I would like to offer a few thoughts on the article on page 6 of the Feb. 13 Catholic Messenger: “Momentum building to raise minimum wage.”
If it is true that the job loss from raising the minimum wage is a myth, as reported, and that 140,000 jobs would be created by raising the minimum wage to $10.10, why should we stop there? Why not go to $20 or $50 an hour? Using that logic, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of jobs would be created and everyone would be better off!
Respectfully, I would like to suggest that readers Google “pros and cons about raising the minimum wage” and thoughtfully consider both sides. I have, and it appears to this reader that raising the minimum wage will increase the income of some people; I would like that. However, it also appears that some people will lose their jobs, or their hours will be cut because of the increased labor cost, and some people will not be hired.
If you are OK with that — that’s OK. But be informed as to what you are wishing for.
Mel Schefers
St. Mary Parish
Oskaloosa
