Minimum Wage Increase Offers Minimal Help

The Connecticut state legislature overrode Rell's minimum wage hike veto. This gave Connecticut's poorest workers an increase from $7.65 P/H to $8.00 P/H or the equivalent of an extra $14.00 for each 40 hr week, assuming taxes do not take any of that.

While this seems like a victory for the poor, reality is that core inflation of food and energy has outpaced their $14.00 dollars. However, none-the-less most lower income people are appreciative of anything they can get these days. Some have been stuck on state assistance for generations and cannot seem to find their way out of poverty. The most tragic situation of poverty is when a child grows up with parents on welfare, has children who end up on welfare, and then see their grand children on welfare.

While the $14.00 each week totals out to $60.00 each month, lets face it that buys one tank of gas. This raise has just helped employers meet the transportation stress their poor workers are experiencing, it is unlikely that working parents will ever see that raise end up on their dinner table. Most of what the poor eat is off the dollar menu at McDonald's and like cheap unhealthy food, food that causes diabetes obesity and undermines public healthcare in the treatment of these conditions.

While I really disagree with Gov. Rell's veto, I also can empathise with this states working poor who do everything they can to survive only to be delivered the injustice and injury of a corporate system who oppresses its workers to compete in a troubled economy.

While our problems in this state are far greater than what the Governor or the legislature can deal with, a strong message should be sent that we value jobs and at the very least treat people with dignity and respect. I believe it is more important to value each other, and demand the basic economic virtues that empower people to succeed.

Jobs are the way our local and state economies work, without living wage jobs to support Connecticut's families the pillars that hold society together begin to unravel at all levels. Reagan once spoke of "trickle down" economics, the way I see it is "trickle up" economics because without the masses shopping and spending economies cannot exist.