I’m responding to the commentary by Courtland Milloy, “Low-income workers deserve healthful food,” on April 26.

In this article, Milloy stated, “Beef got a raise — a 19 percent increase last year. (At Whole Foods in the District of Columbia, a porterhouse steak rakes in $15 a pound.)” He later wrote, “Suggested fixes include raising the minimum wage”

Let’s look at the flip side. If we challenge employers’ profits in Maine by voting to increase the minimum wage, a number of them could react with passive-resistance. An example would be laying off staff and selling what equipment they don’t need to go back being employees themselves. Then their money could transfer into purchasing farmland and raising beef to eat steaks that taste better than what is bought at supermarkets.

If we vote to force employers to pay more than $7.50 per hour in minimum wage, and someone loses their job as a result, are we willing to start a business and hire them? In other words, after we vote to economically bully current employers, are we willing to replace them, while paying our new staff more than $7.50 per hour?

Think about it though, it might be a very long time before we may eat a steak in the future, if our new staff continuously fail to make a profit.

Chances are the answer is no, if we’re not already an employer while the minimum wage is at $7.50 per hour. That’s exactly why raising the minimum wage will generate a number of employers to switch over to being employees, while hardly anyone will be willing to pick up the slack to hire those unemployed as a result of it.

Douglas Papa

Hallowell