Letter: Minimum wage battle not new

The minimum wage debate is with us again. I'm 87 years old and have seen this repeated many times.

It is a three-part story.

Businesses go along with a minimum wage increase for a little while, then profit margins cause them to raise prices. In some cases, however, they don't raise prices. There is an easier way. For instance, something that once came in a 16-ounce package now comes in a 14-ounce package - at the same price.

Next step: the unions. The union workers say their money isn't buying as much as it used to. They say they need an increase.

Then we come back to where we were. The minimum-wage earner is back where he was, at the bottom of the wage scale. He has more money, but it buys less.

Is there a cure for this?

I don't think so. There is too much greed in industry and in unions to let the little person get a better deal.

Nelson Estin, Las Vegas