Minimum wage hike will not help New Jerseyans

The idea of raising the minimum wage in New Jersey is championed by Democratic legislators in Trenton will likely be on the ballot as a question for voters in 2017. Recent examples of minimum wage hikes have cost jobs in local markets, specifically in the DC restaurant industry. Then there's the drive toward automation which we've already seen in Wawa stores, now taking place on a massive scale with fast food chains like McDonalds.

If we really want to help working New Jerseyans, we need to create a better business climate for small companies to expand, open and create new and better paying jobs. We also need to look at state benefits and create opportunities for the working poor to supplement incomes with benefits so they are not skipping meals. We had a wide variety of calls this morning on the subject, most proponents of the higher government mandated wage were seniors struggling to stay above water. Most of the opponents of the latest proposed economic burden were small business owners.