Letters to the Editor 03/23/2016

To the Editor:

Re: "SDC waivers approved for housing," The Nugget, March 16, pg. 3).

That is affordable housing? So you get to buy a house that sits on land you don't own and have to stay poor for 50 years or lose your home? Who is this helping? Thanks, but no thanks.

Bobby Christensen

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To the Editor:

The liberal, socialistic democrats infesting the current Oregon legislature have once again slapped the voters of Oregon in the face. They have declared the recently passed minimum-wage increase as an "emergency," thereby making it impossible for the legally registered voters in Oregon to have any say in the matter.

Is the entire economy of Oregon in such bad shape that the state needs an "emergency" increase to the minimum wage? If the state economy was in really bad shape and on the verge of collapse, why not make the increase, a real increase to $50 per hour for the entire state and not just for certain districts or areas, or dare I say favored political zones.

This half-baked and totally ill-conceived idea of three zones will only serve to draw workers from the lower-paid zones to the higher-paid zones, thus creating a worker shortages in the lower-paid zones.

If, as the legislature says increasing the minimum wage to $15 is an "emergency" why not raise it to $50 per hour and do it right NOW for the entire state.

The truth of the matter is that this proposal is a hoax and a scam intended to make some political figures look good for the coming elections.

The "emergency" declaration is simply a ploy to remove voter control from the process. This "emergency" tactic is shameful and worthy of some third-world dictator, not our citizen legislators.

Any alleged "think tank" could find a reason to justify increasing the minimum wage while ignoring the harmful aspects. In reality, increasing the minimum wage causes more harm than good.

Increasing the minimum wage actually hurts small business. Increasing the minimum wage removes job opportunities for young people just trying to enter the workplace to gain skills and experience. It penalizes seniors and all people living on a fixed income.

Increasing the minimum wage will cause a corresponding increase in inflation and serve as an attraction for illegal aliens, which will result in an additional drain on the state's limited budget.

Increasing the minimum wage will not eliminate job turnover in entry-level positions as claimed by some people. Minimum-wage jobs are generally entry-level jobs that many people take to acquire job skills and work experience that will enable them to qualify for a better-paying job.

Oregon now has one of the highest minimum wages in the nation, which further enhances Oregon's reputation has being unfriendly toward business and job creation.

Members of the Oregon legislature should be embarrassed by this proposal and its associated tactics.

In my opinion declaring a minimum wage increase as an "emergency" is a misuse of power and equates to malfeance (sic) in office and should be grounds for removal from office.

Dave Marlow