Letter: Cost of living should be reduced

Let’s face the facts and speak the truth, money buys happiness. California has become the first state in the nation to commit to raising the minimum wage of $10 per hour. Does increasing the minimum wage pay actually benefit the economy and help families and business?

Many argue that raising the minimum wage will cripple businesses, and others argue that it will benefit low-income families and make living easier. I disagree with both opinions. Either way, it’s a lose-lose situation. If the minimum wage goes up, then the living costs go up and if minimum wage doesn’t go up, then the prices still go up, but not as dramatically.

We live in a society of hard work and low pay. The American Dream consists of having a well-paying job, living in a house, having cars, and having a family. Can we all say that we are living the American Dream? Or can we say that we are barely making ends meet to pay our bills?

We should try to slow down or decrease the cost of living. We need to provide affordable transportation for families who need to commute to work, we need to make healthcare affordable and we need to have jobs.

People aren’t working together to solve this issue. In order to wake up and solve this problem, we need to act together and stop thousands of families suffering from poverty. Raising minimum wage won’t do a lot of change, since living costs are skyrocketing, but if the living costs are stabilized or decreased, then we will see some change. If at the end of the day we aren’t agreeing with each other, then nothing will go right.

Arman Avagyan
Glendale