Editor’s note: Today’s letters to the editor are from Southwest Junior High students learning about persuasive writing.

To the editor:

The minimum wage in Kansas is currently $7.25 an hour by federal law. If you are just being employed for the first time, you must be paid a limited $4.25 for the first 90 days of work. Once you have worked for a minimum of 90 calendar days, your wage will be increased to the federal law requirement of $7.25. As the limit for the youngest age for a worker is 14, they may not be able to afford much due to the dramatic fall in the economy.

Workers that are paid with this minimum wage are not able to buy many things that they need. With the economy dropping, the wage might drop even more. This may result in even more losses in the housing market, families not being able to afford food, and even children not being able to attend college. Other occurrences, such as families not being able to afford the cost to heat or cool their homes, may also happen.

According to the Lawrence Journal-World’s article on April 27, 2008, the middle class is falling into becoming a larger lower class. This happens when one member of the family doesn’t have a job and another member is being paid the minimum wage.

If we are able to increase the minimum wage in Kansas or possibly all over the nation, the middle class might be able to reconstruct itself.

Anish Patel,

Southwest Junior High