There is simply no justification for the insulting tirade against Emory Cole by Ted Neff, Tuesday, Dec. 2, “Article ignores facts of increase.” It was mean-spirited and totally unworthy of printer ink. To disagree without being disagreeable is certainly a lesson not learned though Neff implies an age that should know better.

Lets keep this simple enough for even Ted Neff to understand: first, $15 does equal a 62 percent increase from the current minimum wage of $9.32 as Cole said and, secondly, if Neff thinks that such an increase would raise the cost of lunch-out only 75 cents, he needs more information than he has gotten from attending a Kshama Sawant rally. Minimum wage controls apply to many businesses other than just restaurant employment but, lets keep it simple and limit comments to that industry.

In Switzerland immigration is tightly controlled as are the whereabouts and requirement for employment for everyone with “green card” status. Fewer people seeking minimum wage jobs push wages higher. Thus, everything is price inflated. While Swiss citizens just voted down (77 percent to 23 percent) a proposal to set minimum wage at $25 an hour (equivalent), the current default voluntary minimum is about $25 an hour. Thus, the floor mopper at McDonalds in Zurich makes the default minimum. If that worker wants to eat at McDonalds, a Big Mac, fries and a Coke Zero will cost him just short of $24 now. So, the Swiss worker works about an hour for his lunch.

In Washington state, the minimum McDonalds can pay an illegal alien, or 17 year-old drop-out dishwasher is currently $9.32 an hour and a Big Mac meal, tax and all, is less than $8. Again, the Washington worker can eat his lunch for less than an hour’s work. And, limited only by his own aversion to education, he can work his way up the ladder.

Minimum wage has never worked in the past except to discourage child labor and it causes inflation across the board. There is no reason to believe that the cook, waitstaff and management will be satisfied with any less relative raise than the dishwasher and floor mopper will get. Emory Cole may have misspoke when carrying the 62 percent increase to his examples of rent, gasoline, etc. but, taken together, the increase in all will quickly eat up the minimum increase. It’s called Inflation.

In calling Cole a Scrooge, one must assume Neff is pointing his finger at everyone who doesn’t subscribe to his socialist ideology. Those of us twenty-plus years his senior, living in retirement, resent the redistribution of wealth plan he supports. Margaret Thatcher said it best, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples’ money.” Ted Neff needs to understand that raising wages without increased productivity is inflation and he is running our of my money.

Paul Friedrich

Camano Island