Taxpayers pay with no wage increase

Sen. Tom Harkin's guest column (“Minimum wage increase is a necessity,” April 7) was right about the need to raise the federal minimum wage. House Republicans' decision to vote down raising the minimum wage was shameful, especially considering that 71 percent of Americans support raising the minimum wage (Gallup poll, 2013).

Taxpayers are subsidizing private industries' refusal to pay a fair wage. We pay for Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), subsidized housing, and WIC with our tax dollars. This isn't because people refuse to work, but because employers know that they can get away with paying the minimum and someone else will pay the bill. According to the Center on Policy and Budget Priorities (2013), more than 60 percent of families in 2011 receiving SNAP benefits worked while they received that benefit. What does that say about the wages they were earning in order to qualify for that assistance?

It makes sense to reward workers with a living wage so they can meet their basic needs and participate in the economy. With fair wages, workers can purchase goods, which in turn support business and the economy. We need to stop subsidizing abusive business practices and begin to advocate for our interests as taxpayers and for all American workers. Stop voting for those who don't have our interests at heart.

Shana Wagner

Cedar Rapids