Minimum wage hike will be a crushing blow to low-wage earners (Opinion)

Aren't you as sick and tired of politicians willing to sacrifice your financial stability for sound bites? Aren't you sick of politicians and special interests cherry picking "studies" that prove a point when you know in the end they simply don't care if you lose your job?

Who speaks for younger, low income workers in New Jersey? Who speaks for the ambitious college and high school grads who are entering the work force to make a better life for themselves? Who speaks for the small and medium sized companies who give new workers a chance to earn a living and grow? Certainly not Governor Murphy and his cohorts in the legislature, including Senate President Steve Sweeney.

Oh sure, they want to raise the minimum wage to as high as $15 an hour. Sure they talk a good game about how it will be easy for business to accept and afford it and it will put more money into the economy making it better for everyone.

Problem is they are ignoring facts. The first fact is that small and medium sized businesses in the New Jersey area are already operating in one of the toughest states in terms of taxes and regulation. Add to this difficult situation to a spike in their labor costs and you've made a big problem even worse.

If staff hours are reduced and jobs eliminated due to cuts and automation, it's the low income workers who will be hit the hardest. And in places like Seattle and California, it's already happening.

I was joined by a twenty-something year old paralegal this morning who shared with me that she was looking to relocate to other states where it is less expensive to live. Saying that she's already making above the current minimum wage and is barely above water.

Who speaks for her and the other young women in the work force barely making ends meet and, despite loving New Jersey, forced to look to get out? Certainly not the current crop of politicians in Trenton. They speak for themselves and the special interest money that perpetuates their power. They are constantly looking to solidify their own position and money at your expense.

Nicole and all the young people like her deserve a government that speaks for them. They deserve a government who will ensure prosperity by attracting entrepreneurs and producers to the Garden State to increase wages though success. Otherwise more and more Nicole's will be forced out of our state.

Enough already. Minimum wage jobs are necessary for entry level, low skilled workers and second jobs for people to get ahead. Even if you decide that it's a career, it's not fair or right for government to step in and force a business to spend more money without any guarantee of increased revenue. What's next, a consumer minimum? You have to buy a certain amount of local products? There's something that already accounts for wages and commerce. It's called the free market. And when Government steps back and let's business run business, it works great. When people fall through the cracks, then government should be there to help people pick up the pieces. And that's a tax I'm happy to pay. But NJ government needs to step back and help the private economy create prosperity to lift the lower income into the middle and the middle into the upper. It can be done. But not as long as Governor Murphy is at the helm.

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Bill Spadea.

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