The Important Questions About Oregon New Minimum Wage Law

            For people who do not live in Oregon, on July 1^st, Oregon State passed a law increasing the minimum wage. I personally find it abhorrent that the state of Oregon is telling everyone that they know better when it comes to how to run their business or how much they should be paid for their labor. If I decide that my labor is only worth $5/hour, than why can the state tell me I cannot work for that amount? Personal rant out of the way I had a few questions about the new law.

            First the new law has a higher minimum wage for people in the Portland Metro area as opposed to those in the more rural areas of our state. Basically saying the state believes the labor of those in the metro area is worth more than the labor of those who do not live in Portland. Is this law discrimination based on geography?

            It is well-known that the majority of the state outside of Portland and Eugene vote Republican, so is this an attempt by Democrats who control both Oregon houses and the Governor’s mansion to discriminate or is there a logic behind this variation in wage? The counties that are getting the smaller minimum wage have fewer people in them, so they have less voice when it comes to making laws.

            Was this law put to a vote of the people and if not why not? I searched but could not find where the people had a say in this law other than through elected officials. I did find stories of these elected officials being harassed and threatened by protestors and activists, who they immediate capitulate to. These activists are demanding a $15 minimum wage so they see the new law as not going far enough. It seems to me that these loud minority voices are the only ones the politicians are listening to. It is hard to blame them, when they do not hear from the other voices due to the loud and unrelenting voices of these full time activists.

            These were just a couple questions I had about this new law. The bigger questions of how to wrestle the state away from the oppression of activism and the tyranny of the moral busybody are the undercurrent to these other issues, of which I am still thinking on. If you have any sort of answers or opinions to these questions I am open to suggestions.