 by Linda Burger March 27, 2005 I'm one of those people who get outraged over some reader's letters but never reply to them. That's about to change. I may be young and i may not have a whole lot of experience, but I was born in a third world country and had to enter the job market there. Unfortunately minimum wage was not something my country was familiar with. I started of as a waitress, living on measly tips and a small commision (1.5 - 3%) of my daily sales. I did not get paid by the hour. Why? Because there was no mininmum wage. I've seen woman working 10 hours a day for $100 a month. They did not get a raise because they were competent, or because they actually had passion for what they're doing. For all their hard work they got a pat on the back. Mr. Branco's economic analysis is very good and all, but he missed the fact that a lot of business owners are succesfull and rich because they are greedy. Sure they can afford to pay more, but why would they do that if the job entails little or no training or experience. Can you imagine what would happen to those poor minimum wage earners at all the pizza huts? If there's no regulation in place to insure these people get paid properly, then the wages will most likely go down, not up, never mind the longevity of a employee or his skill. I'm grateful everyday for the minimum wage I earn, because I remember all those long eight hour shifts (sometimes double shifts) on my feet with few or no customers, and with maybe $10 in my pocket. Minimum wage is there to protect the average worker from the occasional greedy oppurtunist that comes along, waiting for the chance to rip somebody off. Linda Burger
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