Time to raise wages

Letter to the Editor
By Tahira Schmidt
Topeka, KS
Capital-Journal, Jul 19 2008

I recently joined a group through Kansas Action Network that is campaigning to "Raise the Wage" in cities across Kansas, including Topeka.

Before I was a part of this group, there was a lot I didn't know about some of the hardest-working people in our city. I didn't realize there are people in our city who make $2.65 an hour - and these aren't all teenage waiters. I have learned that across the state there are more than 17,000 people who work for $2.65 an hour. These people include child care workers, caregivers for the elderly, farmers and even some truck drivers.

With many jobs going overseas, there are fewer opportunities for people here in our own country to find work, so a lot of these people working for $2.65 an hour feel trapped. What I would like to know is how the wealthiest nation in the world, with a national minimum wage soon to be more than $7 an hour, still allows some of our hardest-working citizens to be paid less than what they can live on.

With gasoline at more than $4 a gallon and food prices rising to no end, how can these people dream of having food and a clean place to sleep at night?
Topeka is in the midst of a visioning campaign. As the capital city, if we really want to be a leader for Kansas, I propose our vision focus on becoming a city where no one who works hard ever has to worry about where to sleep or how they can feed their families.

If you want to help make a difference and really change Topeka, join our efforts and meet with us at 6 p.m. Monday at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.