This letter is in response to the letters attacking Patrick Hahn's letter to the editor ("Those on minimum wage should not raise families" August 7) by Melanie Nemcek ("Minimum wage letter has appalling tone, thoughts" August 8.) and Gabriel Akec ("Those on minimum wage work very hard at jobs" August 8).

These letters seemed to have actually made Patrick's statements stronger. Akec made references to refuse collection and plumbing in his arguments.

The problem with that is that plumbing is a skilled job that pays well over minimum wage. Refuse collection is an undesirable job that also pays well over minimum wage. In Nemcek's letter, she stated she knows of families that succeeded on minimum wage without assistance. If that is the case, then why is a raise necessary?

Wages are determined by what workers are willing to work for. Fast food restaurants have had trouble with turnover.

That is why you see places like McDonald's and Burger King paying $7 an hour to regular crew workers. Not surprisingly, both letters left out any mention of facts that dispute that raising the minimum wage causes inflation or that lower taxation would be a more logical solution.

Until I hear anything that discredits those claims, I will continue to believe that raising the minimum wage is just another ploy legislators use to gain votes.