LETTERS: Minimum wage hike hurts job seekers

To the editor:

The argument for increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour is a job killer, and President Barack Obama knows it. Minimum wage jobs are for entry into the workforce. What business is going to pay someone more than $10 an hour when that person has no skills or job experience? I don’t know of any, and if there are any, they won’t be in business for long.

Minimum wage jobs serve a purpose: to teach employees work ethic; to be on time to work; to dress professionally, etc. They also teach employees how to provide expert customer service and deal with the public in a professional manner, along with simple tasks such as counting change back to customers. It is job training. Employees who excel and learn merit a raise that should be determined by the employer, not the government.

Every time the government sticks its nose into the private sector, it is a disaster and a job killer. Elected officials never learn, and it is time that we the voters let them know they aren’t acting in our best interests. Let businesses function the way they were intended, without government interference.

Minimum wages are too high now. That’s why there are so many teens and young adults with no job experience — they can’t get entry-level jobs. They need experience, and the only way to get that is to start low and work their way up.

The Democratic handouts need to stop.

MARLENE DROZD

LAS VEGAS

Letters reflect readership

To the editor:

Regarding William Dwyer’s Feb. 19 letter/threat to stop his subscription to the Review-Journal, in which he claimed the newspaper is shifting to the left and that it is publishing the ravings of buffoons: I could say the same thing about some of the ultra-conservative letters filled with generalizations but were still published by the Review-Journal.

However, my decision to continue to subscribe to the Review-Journal can offset Mr. Dwyer’s threat. I think the newspaper has made a good business decision. When the Las Vegas Sun fades away, the Review-Journal could very well lose some more liberal and middle-of-the-road readers. Hence, I’ve noticed that many of the R-J’s letters published reflect both sides of this large divide we now have in America. I will be keeping my subscription.

JERRY MOSIER

LAS VEGAS

Welfare nightmare

To the editor:

Have you ever tried to contact the Nevada Division of Welfare? I have an acquaintance who, having suffered a serious brain injury several years ago, is unable to work and is receiving food stamps here in Las Vegas. I have had the displeasure, on several occasions, of trying to contact the welfare division on his behalf. There is one phone number that, if you don’t end up with a busy signal, usually requires a wait on hold of more than an hour. It is not possible to contact or leave a message for the case worker directly, nor does the office number have a call-back provision.

I know there are many stories of fraud and abuse in the welfare system, but there are people truly in need of a rapid response. My friend was refused assistance because, according to someone at the Division of Welfare, he was not living at the address he provided — though he actually has been living there for about 10 years. His food stamps were cut off without anyone verifying his status.

Ultimately, the matter was cleared up, but there has to be a better way to respond to the citizens of our state than to put them on hold for hours or deny assistance without verification.

MICHAEL DUNEGAN

LAS VEGAS