<p>The DC Board of Elections ruled on Wednesday to include the &ldquo;Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2016&rdquo; on next year&rsquo;s ballot. Meanwhile, a similar board in New York City makes a huge mistake by voting to double minimum wage only for fast-food employees. ;</p>
<p>The federal minimum wage is $7.25 but varies by state. While many complain that supporting yourself with a minimum wage job is no longer possible due to increases in rent, others argue that hardly anyone works a minimum wage job for more than a few years. ;</p>
<p>DC already enjoys the highest minimum wage in the nation &ndash; and it increased to $10.50 on July 1st this year. But apparently that wasn&rsquo;t good enough. The &ldquo;Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2016&rdquo; will appear on next year&rsquo;s ballot if advocates can collect signatures from 5% of the city&rsquo;s population before November 2016.  ;If approved, the minimum wage in DC will increase gradually, reaching $15 per hour by the end of 2020. After that, wages will increase based on the cost of living and inflation. ;</p>
<p>An unelected board in NY somehow bypassed State Legislature on Wednesday and voted to increase the minimum wage from $8.75 to $15 &ndash; but only for fast-food employees. The rest of the state would have to wait until 2021. Seattle and LA have similar plans, but the change is not limited to one industry. ;</p>
<p>Pro-business groups argue that an increase &ndash; gradual or immediate &ndash; will destroy small businesses: &ldquo;No small business owner, which many in the food service industry are, can continue to operate under those conditions,&rdquo; says Harry Wingo, DC Chamber of Commerce President. &ldquo;Thus many more will close as we have seen in other jurisdictions that have adopted this requirement.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Many Republicans criticize the left for backing a plan that won&rsquo;t actually help. While current employees would certainly enjoy a raise, ;what will the effect be ;on hiring, prices, and employers? ;Advocates are making a mistake when they consider minimum wage workers a permanent class. In reality, many of these individuals are young workers who will soon move on to higher-paying jobs. Few individuals work at minimum wage for more than a two years. Besides, if a minimum wage job allowed for comfortable living, where would the motivation be to improve? ;</p>
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