The Connecticut General Assembly voted Wednesday, March 26th, for legislation that would raise the state's $8.70 minimum wage to $10.10 by January 2017.
I have some thoughts about this.
First of all I find myself agreeing somewhat with those who opposed this law---but not for the reasons they state which is that such a law will put an undue strain on businesses thereby actually doing more harm than good because it will result in lay-offs. That argument is absurd. We're talking about an increase of $1.30 per hour over the next almost 3 years. Plenty of time to prepare.
But what is equally true is that it simply won't accomplish what the president and the rest of the democratic party say it will. To think that the life style of those earning minimum wage is going to significantly improve is just as absurd as the idea that businesses will fail.
The root problem is that too many people do not earn the amount of money they need to provide for themselves and their families. The answer is NOT to keep giving them small, insignificant raises. The solution is to provide opportunities to acquire skills that are more marketable and therefore valuable. If such people choose to take advantage of these opportunities, then all well and good. If they don't, then they get what they deserve-or more precisely-earn.
This way we still expect people to be personally responsible for their actions while at the same time lending them a helping hand.
Now, doesn't that make sense?
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