Minimum Wage

Re “You Can’t Support a Family on Minimum Wage,” Voices, March 28: Where is it written that any one person working full time at minimum wage should be able to support an entire family? Clearly, if you can’t afford to support a family you have no justification for having one. Granted, you have the right to bring children into the world without any or even limited means to support them--but should you?

Second, if it is the government’s contention that families below a given income should be supported, then let the government tax everyone to accomplish this--not just businesses. Exempt those below the given income from the tax, but don’t focus on businesses that are creating jobs here in the U.S.

My small business employs 30 workers, mostly at minimum wage (recently increased to $5.75). Everyone above that demands a similar increase and I must either meet that demand or retrain another worker. Of course, the additional effect is to encourage me to have more and more of my products manufactured elsewhere--and, believe me, as much as I have resisted it in the past I am making my plans to do so.

DAN BRUMER

Santa Monica