The federal minimum wage has been stuck at the poverty wage of $7.25 per hour for 11 years. Unlike the other New England states, which have raised their minimum wage, New Hampshire has chosen to continue inflicting this form of exploitation upon its lowest-paid workers. Despite numerous proposals to increase the minimum wage, New Hampshire’s legislators have refused to honor the majority bipartisan support for doing so, supported by the governor’s similar devaluing of those working so hard for so little.
This cruel intransigence highlights the need for the Raise the Wage Act of 2021, gradually raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. Passage of this act would result in a long-overdue raise for nearly 32 million Americans, many of whom are essential workers — lauded by many, yet still so poorly paid.
How can anyone oppose remedying such an injustice? How can we choose not to pay workers the wages needed to support themselves and their families? How do we live with knowing that our nation’s so-called minimum wage is a starvation wage?
From a moral perspective, this is not complicated. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. insisted that “All labor has dignity” and thus deserves to be adequately compensated. This is not about the economic worth of any job, nor the skills of the people doing the job, but rather about the people themselves. If society needs work to be done, and it is done by people, then their humanity — as well as our own — requires that they be paid at least the minimum needed to live on.
JOHN GREGORY-DAVIS
and SUSAN GREGORY-DAVIS
Meriden
The writers are co-pastors of the Meriden Congregational Church, UCC.
As spring arrives we come to that dreaded time of year when cans, bottles and various other forms of trash appear alongside of the roads throughout our towns. Just take a ride through the back roads of Norwich and Hanover to see the difference a “bottle bill” makes. In fact, Vermont in 1953 was the first state to pass a bottle bill. The difference in scenic impact is stark.
The intention of these bills was not only to reduce litter, but to conserve natural resources through recycling and reduce the amount of solid waste going to landfills. It is clearly apparent that Hanover’s recycling program is not nearly enough. The financial incentive of a deposit return may well improve the deplorable condition of our roadside embarrassment.
According to the Container Recycling Institute, states that have implemented a bottle bill have reported a reduction in container litter ranging from 70% to 83% and a reduction in total litter ranging from 30% to 47%. It seems that litter begets litter.
It is of no surprise that beverage companies have fought every attempt to pass legislation that would support a bottle bill, but isn’t it time for our political leaders to show a little backbone? The tourism industry in New Hampshire would surely appreciate it, as would I.
JAMES McGRATH
Etna
I have traveled thousands of miles in Russia, so I had to laugh when I saw the headline about Russia’s president: “Putin points to flaws in US society” (March 19). Yes, we have flaws. They’re not trivial, and we should address them. But President Joe Biden can just ask Vladimir Putin: “Where are the hordes at your borders, clamoring to get in?”
RICHARD ANDREWS
Springfield, Vt.
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
The Second Amendment does not mention squirrels or deer, so it’s not there for hunting.
The Second Amendment says nothing about defending your home, so it’s not there for home defense.
The Second Amendment does not mention single-shot muskets, so it’s not there to determine the type of arms or the number of rounds that can be loaded.
Please keep this in mind if and when there is talk of changing our Second Amendment rights.
WAYNE WEED
Newport, N.H.
My wife and I are pushing 80 years old. We follow science, wear a mask when in public and practice social distancing — not only to help protect us, but also our fellow Americans. I have nothing but contempt for those people who object to wearing a mask.
Texas has the third-highest COVID-19 death toll in the United States. Now its Republican governor is opening the state with no restrictions. If he cared about his people, he would let his brain kick in before opening his mouth. This is what the Republican Party has turned into: people who care only about themselves and their party.
ROBERT POLLARD
Enfield
I’m writing to tell you how much I enjoyed the Perspectives column by Suzanne Lupien in the Sunday Valley News (“On the eve of 65, time to take stock,” Feb. 28). It was thoughtfully written and thought-provoking.
At age 84, I not only benefited from reading it, I loved her style of writing, her voice. There’s much wisdom in her reflections.
I hope to see more of her writing in future editions of the Valley News.
MEL GOERTZ
Tunbridge