The questions we ought to ask ourselves in the debate about a living wage ordinance is this: is it reasonable to expect that people who work forty or more hours a week should earn so little that they can't afford to feed their families? Is it reasonable to expect that people who work forty or more hours a week should live in homeless shelters in our city, rather than in places they can call their own?
Many of the people I've been talking to about the ordinance agree that it simply isn't okay. Some of them are speaking from a place of their values. Others see it in more practical terms: The best possible way to lift people out of poverty is to ensure that they have jobs that compensate them adequately for their time and allow them to provide for the well-being and growth of their families. That doesn't just benefit the workers who earn a living wage, it benefits all of us. It means fewer folks relying on government assistance. It means that low-wage workers, who tend to spend rather than save extra income, will spend at higher rates and make the economy stronger. And it means that more families have to worry less about making ends meet. Fewer workers will have to work two or three jobs to make ends meet, and will have time to contribute even more than they do now to their families, their congregations, their civic organizations, and their community as a whole. The living wage proposal is a really fair and balanced way to start significantly reducing poverty in our community. It may not cover enough workers, but nevertheless, it ought to pass, and we ought to find other ways to improve the lives of the workers who won't fall under its provisions. The poverty rate in Minneapolis is double that of the rest of the state. Provisions like this one are very concrete ways of reversing that trend. pax Matt Gladue Longfellow REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
