Reader’s React: What Do You Think About Increasing the Minimum Wage?

One of the points Gov. Andrew Cuomo made when he delivered his annual State of the State address earlier this month was increasing the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.75.

When we asked readers on Facebook what they thought, the reaction leaned all toward being in favor of the proposal.

Elaine Deyorra as blunt with her opinion.

“Well it's about $@%&%@ TIME!!!!!!!!” she wrote. “How do they think anyone could live on $7.25 an hour!”

Daniel Mc Carthy thought it was a good idea saying that people are seeing less money in their checks all the time.

“Everything is going up so the salary must,” he said. “And really who in Long Island can survive on $7.25 per hour, not saying they can on $8.75 either but it has to be done.”

Some thought that $8.75 wasn’t high enough. Linda Abrams said it’s still not enough to live on. She wrote that minimum wage should be $10 per hour.

“My friend right now is looking for a new job since her place closed up and it's hard for her to work and support her daughter,” she said. “Because here on long island the cheapest apartment for two bedrooms is like $1,500 or $1,700 a month now that hard to do on $8.75.”

Vera Langstone also thought that raising the minimum wage is a good idea and said that after living on unemployment while looking for a job she found a temp job that eventually turned into a permanent position but her salary isn’t enough to live on. Finding affordable health insurance is her first obstacle.

“I'm trying hard to move forward but I guess it doesn't necessarily mean moving forward financially,” she wrote. “I know many people are in the same situation. Something has got to give.”

Continue the conversation here. We want to know what you think.

What do you think of Gov. Cuomo’s proposal to raise minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.75? Let us know by commenting below.