So the Maine People’s Alliance say they made a mistake when they posted a job advertisement at $10.09 per hour for a job designed to convince voters to increase Maine’s minimum wage to $12 per hour (“Group seeking $12 base wage posted jobs paying $10 an hour,” July 8). Maybe they should also admit that increasing Maine’s minimum wage by an average of 13 percent each year for the next three years is a mistake. A big mistake.

By 2020 we would have a minimum wage that is only lower than California ($13 per hour) and New York ($15 per hour). Not exactly the two states I would compare Maine to. Not only will it hurt our small businesses, it will also cause prices to go up and effectively put more people at, or closer to, the poverty level. Lower-end salaried people who will not see multi-digit percentage increases, and the people getting these increased minimum wages will have to pay increased prices to cover higher wages.

I also thought it was interesting that the Maine People’s Alliance are only offering part-time jobs at 21.25 hours per week. Are they simply trying to spread the wealth by helping more people work multiple jobs to make a living, or are they making sure they don’t have to pay benefits by making sure they only have part-time workers?

David Jackson

Smithfield