Letter to the editor: Pennsylvanians need a raise

State Rep. Jesse Topper hit the nail on the head when he said Pennsylvanians need more money in their pockets (“We can stop the pinch who stole Christmas,” Dec. 20, TribLive). But he was tone deaf with his answer. We, the struggling middle class, need a pay increase to deal with the high cost of living. Topper’s solution, a decrease in taxes, will not get us where we need to be. We need an increase in wages.

The minimum wage has been frozen at $7.25 for 15 years. Like his Republican colleagues, Topper has voted against increasing our minimum wage. Yet these same representatives give themselves an automatic pay raise every year, 2020 being an exception. They now earn over six figures. Pennsylvania has the third highest paid legislators in the country, right behind California and New York.

Considering that a living wage in Pennsylvania is around $22 to $24 per hour, but a comfortable wage is reported to be double that amount, it leads to the conclusion that a living wage covers the absolute bare minimum. When you consider that 6 in 10 U.S. jobs pay less than $25 per hour, you can understand why people are angry.

Pennsylvania Senate Bill 1186 would raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour but is being blocked by Republicans, including Topper and our own Sen. Kim Ward.

I cannot understand why our Republican representatives feel they deserve a raise but their constituents do not.

Sandy Kremer

Youngwood