Minimum wage in Iowa in $7.25 per hour. Surrounding states — South Dakota, Illinois and Minnesota — have raised minimum wage, but Iowa’s wage remains stagnant.

Other states acted to increase because as inflation continues to rise, the minimum wage has not changed. Our legislature has not acted on any raise. When some Iowa counties raised minimum wage in 2017, the Republican legislature actually reversed their increase. Our legislature won’t raise minimum wage nor will they allow anyone else to increase it.

As a side note, what has happened to the Republican party of old when they were believers in small government – a government that would not dictate over-reaching policy?

We need to keep in mind that 67 percent of Americans favor raising the minimum wag and that even includes 57 percent of the Republicans. One study estimated that such a raise would benefit 38.6 million adults, 23.8 million full-time workers, 23 million women and 14.4 million parents and children.

A real consideration is that a higher minimum wage puts money into the hands of the consumer who will buy products and keep our factories busy rather than the money going into the hands of billionaires who put it in a bank in the Cayman Islands so it is protected from taxes.

One study estimated that if the minimum wage had kept up with inflation, it would be over $21 per hour. If that study is accurate, then the figure of $15 per hour is sadly lacking. However, whatever the increase might be, it is obvious that Iowa needs to act.

In order to see that action, we need to put Christina Blackcloud in the state House and Dave Degner in the state Senate. They both favor a negotiable and gradual increase in the minimum wage. We need to move forward rather than clinging to the past.