Thank you
Hello, I am Shawn Parraga,
I was a part of one of the photos you guys posted in the newspaper for track and field. This picture captured me triple jumping, but more importantly captured a special moment in my track and field season. With this photo I just wanted to iterate the gratitude I have towards you guys for publishing myself along with the many other athletes this KIF season. A lot of our hard work and dedication we exert forth towards our sport is validated by you guys, and by proxy others in the community.
Overall, I just wanted to express my appreciation toward you guys for the service you provide for the community
Shawn Parraga, Kekaha
Minimum wage
The Hawai’i state minimum wage, as of October 2022, is $12.00 an hour, and will be $18.00 an hour by January 2028. This is, quite frankly, outrageous.
The living wage for one adult with no dependents in Hawai’i in 2022, according to M.I.T., was $21.99 an hour. The living wage for the same set of circumstances is $22.05 an hour in 2023.
Even if the living wage continued to rise by 6 cents a year, as it did this year, the minimum wage by 2028 will still be more than $4 less than the living wage, which translates to almost $9,050 in a year. This goes against the very intent of the minimum wage.
FDR, in the speech he gave with the introduction of the minimum wage, said, “no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country”.
The fact that the gap between the minimum wage and the living wage is now more than $9,000 a year is horrific, and must be fixed immediately. The wage must rise.
Gregory Boston, Kalaheo
