Minimum Wage

Thank you for your March 9 story on the vast numbers of people trapped in minimum wage jobs. The media focus relentlessly on economic indicators that supposedly tell us that the economy is booming and that people are moving off welfare in record numbers. Unfortunately, the picture for the population that does not own stock in high-tech start-ups is somewhat different.

I am a lawyer (and child support advocate) for a legal services agency in Los Angeles County, where 33% of the children live below the poverty level. My clients are stuck in those low-paying jobs, working hard, trying to support their families. The media’s insistence on reporting only the positive aspects of the nation’s economic status is an insult to them.

JENNY SKOBLE

Harriett Buhai Center

for Family Law, Los Angeles

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Why are the people who pay minimum wage made to take responsibility for the typical low-wage worker, who in this case shows a definite pattern. English illiteracy and limited marketable skills would keep anyone at the bottom of the wage ladder. A person has to be willing to upgrade his or her skills to be competitive. And also be willing to limit the size of families to what he or she can support.

REGAN DuCASSE

North Hollywood