To the Editor:<\/p>\n
On Friday May 2, some 41 Republican senators voted against increasing the minimum wage to an hourly rate of $10.10. ($404 weekly). Lehigh Acres has many workers that could have benefitted from this increase. Many work low-rate, no benefit jobs.<\/p>\n
* If these workers made more, it follows that they could spend more; ultimately helping other businesses in Lehigh.<\/p>\n
* Their school children would not be saving their lunch food for others at home.<\/p>\n
* Even at the $404 weekly wage, it is an impossible budget to provide a living.<\/p>\n
* 25 percent of the budget for food with prices going up, up, up!<\/p>\n
* 25 percent housing<\/p>\n
* 50 percent for doctors, drugs, car insurance, shoes, clothing, expensive childcare, and gas also going up, up, up.<\/p>\n
* We have a challenge to raise the wages of the middle class, but the minimum wage of the working poor must be elevated to a livable wage NOW.<\/p>\n
I would ask these 41 senators which include Florida Sen. Marco Rubio: “What is the percentage of working people living in poverty in their states.”<\/p>\n
Do they not feel obligated to help their own? Do they not feel obligated to represent all the people in their state? It is really just the right thing to do.<\/p>\n
Joan Patterson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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