Readers respond to Question of the Week: Fast food minimum wage right at $20?

Minimum wage laws

The mandated $20 minimum wage mandate is an abomination to our founding principles of natural law rights as expressed by a free market economy.

The consequences of this governmental interference with the contract between employee and employer are the antithesis of its stated intent to benefit the worker.

The fast-food industry has a very small gross margin and operates with extreme cost controls and efficiency.

Raising labor costs without good business reasons leaves the business only three options to manage the increased expense: eliminate people, bring in automation or raise prices. This will create more government dependency, reduce affordability, while forcing many out of business.

It accelerates inflation where the increased income is countered by an equal raise in the cost of living. Ultimately, many will lose their jobs while the buying power of the dollar goes down.

Simply stated, everyone loses. — Stephen Smith, Eagle Rock

The new burgers' cost will be good for the waistline

Trying to lose those extra pounds? Help is on the way with $10 hamburgers. No doubt that fast food workers could use a raise in hourly wages to help ends meet. I worked at a McDonald's for $1 per hour in 1960 when I was 16 years old.

But that was a good entry-level job for a kid who was in the midst of finishing high school and moving on to greener fields.

Noticeably, the demographics have changed in that business, and folks are trying to provide a living for their entire families.

So, let's count our losses not in the price of a burger, but in our shrinking waistlines.

— Jim Jernigan,

Walnut

Fast food wages

I have read many articles regarding the $20 wage for fastfood workers.

I have yet to read anything regarding the fact that this wage will disincentivize many workers from climbing the social ladder by furthering their education to enhance advancement to higher-paying jobs. Why learn a higher-paying trade now that I make this new wage?

— Ronald J. Baida, Glendale