(ConservativeInsider.org) – Last year ended with many families barely making ends meet as the country continued to fight the coronavirus pandemic. In nearly half of US states, lawmakers raised the minimum wage to boost low-income earners’ take-home pay.
Twenty states, mostly run by Democrat governors, have increased minimum wage as of January 1, 2021. New York shared its news on Twitter:
Ringing in the new year with a minimum wage increase!
Today the minimum wage rises from $13 to $14 for Long Island/Westchester.
It rises from $11.80 to $12.50 for the rest of New York.
The NYC minimum wage remains at $15.https://t.co/d0yDjGxOfG
— State of New York 😷 (@NYGov) December 31, 2020
The Governor of New Jersey also laid out the state’s plan to hit a $15-per-hour minimum wage by 2024:
New Jersey is on a path to a $15/hr minimum wage – to uplift working families and strengthen our economy. Through our actions, the minimum wage for the vast majority of workers will increase to:
➡️ $12/hr in 2021
➡️ $13/hr in 2022
➡️ $14/hr in 2023
➡️ $15/hr in 2024 pic.twitter.com/OL7QOe0tMl— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) December 31, 2020
However, many small businesses worry about increasing wages when they’re already struggling to pay bills amidst the numerous shutdowns enforced by their governors.
Other states chose to raise the minimum wage on a local level, allowing local governments to account for a higher cost of living in a city versus a lower cost of living in more rural areas.
While Democrats hope to make citizens dependent on the government through increased wages and taxes, the GOP strives to help capitalism and the American people work hard to keep money flowing. Higher wages might help some short-term, but they’re only useful in the long run if businesses stay afloat.
Copyright 2021, ConservativeInsider.org
