Consider military pay in wage debate

Consider military pay in wage debate

In regard to the idea of a minimum wage hike there has been a lot of "no information" rhetoric bandied about. The one question that has not been addressed is, Do you (voter) think that a young person flipping hamburgers should earn an hourly wage higher than a young person who has completed basic training in the military?

Not to disparage the hamburger flipper; it is honest work, but a young GI obtains training and has responsibilities far beyond someone working at Taco Bell. Including all pay and possible allowances the GI can top out at around $22,700 a year. A work year of 2,080 hours/year, assuming a 40/week and 52 weeks/year, means that the military person averages about $10.91/hour.

A minimum wage of $15 an hour and the same 2,080 hours/year grosses out to $31,200 a year. That is nearly 40 percent more than the GI. And anyone who has spent any time in the military knows that the workday is often longer than eight hours a day with no overtime pay.

Think about it and think fairness.

Richard Murdock

North Aurora