Letter writer Ann Costlow repeats the tired falsehood that the minimum wage is primarily for students and part-time workers, and then goes on to say that politicians are the ones disconnected from economics ("A $15 wage will hurt Baltimore," May 27).
In fact, according to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics using 2014 data, more than half those nationally who are paid at or below minimum wage are 25 or older, and the proportion is higher for those paid below the minimum.
Analysis by the Economic Policy Institute shows that 88 percent earning the minimum wage are at least 20, more than 35 percent are over 40, and that 55 percent of them work full-time and 28 percent have children.
These are adults handling adult responsibilities to the best of their ability, and they deserve a living wage and the respect that goes with it.
Ms. Costlow asks how city businesses are supposed to endure the added burden of higher wages. I appreciate her concern, but this also misses an economic truism: People who earn more have more disposable income and spend more, which benefits the economy.
Businesses in Govanstown and other Baltimore neighborhoods stand to benefit from having more neighbors who are not just living hand to mouth.
Katharine W. Rylaarsdam