Editor,
I’ve been following with interest stories about Santa Fe’s upcoming minimum wage hike. The minimum wage is $9.85 an hour and in 2012 it’s poised to increase to somewhere between $10.22 and $10.32 an hour.
I think this is great. With more money in the pockets of the average family, not only is there more spending, there is more stability and an overall healthier economy. Although I’m happy to see this happening in Santa Fe, I can’t help but wonder why we can’t implement this change in Albuquerque, or statewide.
Many small business owners in Santa Fe who were unsure about the last increase have actually come out and said that it’s been a benefit to their businesses because, again, people are spending more. A working person making the statewide minimum wage of $7.50 and working full time cannot support him or herself, let alone a family. It’s not rocket science.
When prices for goods go up, wages should go up. I think it’s time we use Santa Fe as an example of what can happen when we show our citizens that we value them. It’s time to raise New Mexico’s minimum wage.
Joe Gutierrez
Daily Lobo reader
