This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The letter "Make corporations pay" (Sept. 27), shows a misunderstanding of economics. According to the Heritage Foundation, "Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau show that most minimum-wage earners are young, part-time workers, and that relatively few of them live below the poverty line. Their average family income is over $53,000 a year."

Many nearby businesses advertise jobs with a $9 hourly wage to start. A few offer $11 per hour. If a company now pays $9 per hour and the government raises the wage to, say, $18, the company must cut the number of hourly workers in half, or raise prices. It's basic economics. Companies with workers at minimum wage usually have small profits, so they can't automatically increase wages without cuts elsewhere. There's no corporate welfare involved.

Minimum-wage increases have forced companies to replace workers with automated equipment. Fast-food companies, for example, have laid off minimum-wage drink servers and purchased machines that do the work faster and more efficiently. Likewise, stores have installed self-checkout stations rather than hire more cashiers. Be careful what you wish for.

Jon Titus

Herriman