Throughout my life, my family was able to provide me with what I needed, and more. Not everyone in life has been afforded these privileges, and I would not be where I am today if it were not for my family.

Conservatives have conditioned us to think that it is the low-wage worker’s fault they can’t provide for themselves and their families. This is just not so.

I’ve worked low- and tipped-wage jobs in my lifetime but rarely had to solely support myself on sub-par wages. In the brief time that I was an independent low-wage worker, I struggled to pay rent and my bills in full. Even though I was on my own, my family was always a safety net.

In Maine, the minimum wage is currently $7.50 per hour ($3.75 per hour for tipped workers). Livable wages in Maine have been estimated at approximately $15 per hour.

Conservatives want you to believe that most low-wage workers are people like me (young white men). In reality, more than a third of low-wage workers are over 40, 70 percent of low-wage workers are women and 80 percent of tipped workers are women. It is unfair and immoral that anyone working 40-plus hours a week can’t make a livable wage.

This year, the people of Maine will vote on a measure to increase the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2020, as well as increase the tipped minimum wage incrementally until it matches the full minimum wage by 2024.

I urge you to support this change. It is not only good for those working low-wage and tipped jobs, but it is also the right thing to do. It’s time to give low-wage workers an advantage.

Kyle Scott

Portland