Letter: Minimum wage hike is needed

I take exception to the line of thinking in the letter "Minimum-wage increases destroy jobs" [Jan. 19]. Does the writer believe that minimum-wage-paying companies will fail or lose business because they have to pay employees a little more? Will companies like McDonald's sell fewer hamburgers, or will health care aides not be needed, because their wages increase slightly? This is a hollow argument, and one I heard all my working life.

I worked for 40 years and have been retired for 20 years, and the only people who said I was paid too much were those making more than me. Those making less never do. They strive to move up to a field that pays more and don't want to see wages drop.

There seems to be an axiom among higher-income people that if the little guy makes more money, some money will be taken from the rich. However, I do not believe this is true of all, as was illustrated by Warren Buffett and the millionaires who went to Washington.

I hope people will see the hypocrisy in keeping lower-wage earners down.

Allen Ollendorf, Islip