By Kevin Palmer
Georgia District 12 Congressman Rick Allen is the epitome of why Republicans are wrong to oppose raising the minimum wage. In his weekly newsletter he boasted of voting against raising the minimum wage to $15 by 2025. His district has over 248 thousand households. Allen’s vote was a slap in the face to more than half or 143 thousand households.
According to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, “The hourly living wage required to afford basic needs in Georgia is $24.14 per hour (50k). This is more than triple the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, four times the state’s minimum wage of $5.15 per hour, and higher than the state’s median hourly wage of $16.25.”
Allen’s district has over 79 thousand households with income less than $25k; over 64 thousand households have income $25 – $50k, meaning they cannot afford basic needs. In order to survive, many households in district 12 need government assistance in the form of food stamps, childcare subsidies, and tax credits.
Voting yes would have provided some relief to households struggling to make ends meet. Instead, Rick Allen chose to represent self-sufficient households and business owners who need low wage employees to finance their comfortable lifestyle.
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