Minimum wage should be applied fairly across US

I want to thank the Camera for its editorial on Sunday, May 4, saying the minimum wage increases in unincorporated Boulder County should be paused.

I very much agree, and I would like to emphasize how it affects Niwot in particular. (Disclosure: I am a nine-year resident of Niwot. I do know some of the business owners, but I do not own one myself.) I think of all the unincorporated areas in Boulder County, Niwot is the most vulnerable to forced increases: First, it has the largest business area, so more restaurants, stores and markets, etc., are affected than other unincorporated areas. Second, its central location means it is easy to get to Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, etc. This means if Niwot prices are driven up, it’s fairly easy for people to go elsewhere, unlike some other areas, such as Gold Hill.

As the editorial stated, only 12% of Boulder County lives in unincorporated areas, with the other 88% not impacted by the forced increases in Minimum Wage.

This is having a real effect: In less than 12 months, Niwot has lost two of its nicest restaurants. Our local market is family-owned and has stated that the forced wage increases will make them less competitive.

To emphasize: The issue is NOT what the minimum wage should be. The real issue IS that increases should be applied fairly throughout the county to avoid hurting certain specific small areas.

— Steve Levin, Niwot

Democrats can build a blue wave with good legislation

Could the Dems create a blue wave in 2027 by proposing laws in 2025 and 2026?

Having bills prepared will encourage folks to vote! When folks vote, congressional majorities are made, and bills get passed into laws. Laws create binding changes rather than executive orders that flip-flop every regime change.

The current group of Republicans has been successful in getting so many executive orders declared so quickly because of years of planning and preparation that culminated in “Project 2025.” The president claimed no knowledge of it during the campaign, and in spite of its potential negative effects, a majority voted for him. If Dems proposed laws now that benefit the 90%, would that motivate greater election participation, creating Dem majorities in both houses? If beneficial laws are presented that Republicans kill, would that give Dems a strong campaign?

I think a lot of people do not see the difference in the two parties, as they fulfill the wishes of their donors. These folks, in turn, do not vote. If they were presented bills that would be resubmitted, perhaps a blue wave could result. These bills should deal with essentials — health care, immigration, minimum wage, employment protection, fair tax schedules, veteran benefits, minimum wage, campaign finance, trans rights and housing rights, to name a few. It would be a predefined agenda.

Bernie Sanders and 100 Congressmen have submitted Medicare for All bills in their respective chambers. Its lack of progress in Washington is guaranteed. But the bill will be a strong motivator for folks who may loose health care benefits. The same motivation could be created for other groups unhappy with the lack of modern immigration laws, or the low minimum wage laws, etc.

Knowing which candidates have proven support for a failed bill can make it easier to decide to vote and for whom.

— Stuart Kuzminsky, Longmont

Hands off Medicaid funds

Congress must reject Republicans’ plans to cut a devastating $880 billion from our nation’s Medicaid program. Medicaid is an essential health care program for more than 72 million Americans, including children, families, seniors, new parents, people with disabilities, low-income people across the country and probably a number of you reading this.

This program makes up 30% of most state budgets, meaning cuts to federal support would force every state to make impossibile choices: slash health care for those who need it most or gut other core programs that states fund. Medicaid allows families to stay healthy and financially stable, keeps our state budgets steady and keeps the door of the hospitals that we all depend on open. Sixty-two percent of long-term care residents in nursing homes and one in three people with disabilities get the care they need through Medicaid

Eighty-eight percent of voters are against cutting federal funding for Medicaid. Write or call your representatives and tell them, “Hands off Medicaid!”

— Barry Wehrle, Loveland