To the editor:

It should shock no one that the business community isn’t lining up to support the living wage movement, but Lawrence officials need to avoid common knee-jerk reactions when evaluating the pros and cons of a living wage measure. Some of the traditional economic arguments being tossed around aren’t as self-evident as they sound.

Anyone with a basic understanding of economics may initially be concerned about mandated wage increases, but things aren’t always as simple as they seem.

More to the point, is it all that unreasonable to ask employers who receive incentives via tax breaks and contracts to give something back to the workforce? Do we want Lawrence to be the kind of community that sacrifices resources to lure firms, while not getting a return in the way of quality jobs, which Lawrence desperately needs? Any community can attract business if they give every tax and environmental break there is, but apart from creating jobs they’ll ruin the community and lower living standards.

Do we want to be that community? This issue — as with all issues that impact the future of Lawrence — calls for serious consideration.

Fred Merino,

Lawrence