In 1985 in Connecticut a gallon of milk was $2.26/now $4; a gallon of gas $1.20/today $2.39; a loaf of bread $1/today $3; a dozen eggs 80 cents/today $3; a pound of beef $2.27/today $4.27; a pound of chicken 77 cents /today $1.35; rental for an apartment $500-$600 monthly/today $1,200; price for Levi blue jeans $20-$30/today $50-$60.

These living essentials have increased from 100 percent to 200 percent since 1985. The national minimum wage today is $7.75 an hour. In 1985 the minimum wage was $3.35. Perhaps minimum wage should be increased three times $3.35 to $10.05.

A $15 an hour minimum wage would increase the 1985 wage by 445 percent and it would be a 207 percent increase from $7.25. The largest states in population are California and New York.

In California, the minimum wage is $10, so $15 would be a 50 percent increase. In New York it would be a 67 percent increase from $9.

Increasing of the minimum wage should be a state or county policy. A $15 minimum wage nationwide will cripple teenage employment, as employers hire older, more educated and experienced people who’ll work for $15 hourly.

Steven A. Birt

Groton