When a minimum wage bill is passed, employers are given sufficient time to make necessary budget adjustments and other preparations. Since low paying jobs traditionally have high employee turnover, some employees will leave to find better jobs. Not all of these employees will be replaced.
After 30 years of managing and supervising retail stores, I personally know of no one who lost his/her job because of a raise in the minimum wage. The workers on the bottom rung of the economic ladder have little or no disposable income. Only the necessities are covered by their paychecks.
Furthermore, I find it hard to believe that Mr. Harmon genuinely feels Kentucky can lift itself from the bottom of the most desirable lists and off the top of the most undesirable lists, by enticing or luring business here, if the business depends on paying its employees $5.25 an hour, and I seriously doubt that a company paying $12-$15 an hour would refuse to locate in a state whose minimum wage is $6.25 an hour versus a neighboring state whose minimum wage is $5.25 an hour.
Lastly, I feel certain most people agree with Mr. Harmon that we should do everything fiscally and physically possible to increase workforce earning potential. Mr. Harmon's position seems to be that the minimum wage should be kept low as an incentive to pursue self-improvement programs.
It would seem that increasing earning ability by increasing the minimum wage would open the door to more opportunities. Clearly, insisting the minimum wage remain far below the poverty level serves no purpose at all.
With the stock market at an all time high, politicians regularly voting themselves raises, the middle class shrinking, and with more families falling below the poverty line, I cannot in good conscience support a candidate who does not support a raise in the minumum wage.
John Houchin
Danville
