As part of a larger mock election unit he’s conducting at Pitman High School in Turlock, teacher Isaac W. Farhadian had his students in AP U.S. government and politics, U.S. government and economics write letters to the editor.
Because of the volume of letters, we are breaking them up by ballot proposition. We are publishing batches of letters, sometimes edited for length, in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 5 election.
The following letter regards Proposition 32 , which would raise the California minimum wage as follows: For employers with 26 or more employees, to $17 immediately, $18 on Jan. 1, 2025. For employers with 25 or fewer employees, to $17 on Jan. 1, 2025, $18 on Jan. 1, 2026.
Raising minimum wage will just raise prices
Dear Editor,
It would seem that the people of our grand state do not understand simple economics! When I read that Proposition 32 had garnered as much support as it had, I could hardly believe my eyes. Raising the minimum wage to $18 will not help the problem. Raising the minimum to $17 will not help the problem. I repeat to all who did not listen in their economics classes, raising the minimum wage will not help the problem! I present a simple concept called push inflation, which states that when wages rise, so do the prices of products sold. Prop. 32 is not only ineffective but actually hurts small companies. With many stores lining Main Street, Prop. 32 will force them to raise their wages and hurt their profits, risking beloved local businesses to close shop. Proposition 32 will simply do more harm than good (if there is any good that comes with it). Supporters of Prop. 32 argue that citizens will be able to afford the basic cost of living with a mandated raise. But answer me this, people: Why would we raise the minimum wage to afford basic needs when those same needs will rise in cost along with those wages? I rest my case. Increasing the cost of living, hurting small businesses and overall being ineffective is not a proposition that citizens should vote for.