By Staff Writer, Sosseh Taimoorian 

Diets, gym memberships, and other New Year’s resolutions are coming Jan. 1.
In addition to these changes, California’s minimum wage will rise to $7.50 and later to $8.00 in Jan. 2008. California is one of six states that require minimum wage levels to be higher than the federal minimum wage, which is currently $5.15. There have been proposals to increase the federal minimum wage as well to $7.25 by Jan. 2009 in a series of three 70-cent steps.
Democrats suggest that increasing minimum wage, which last occurred in 1997, will help keep low income families off the streets. According to an article in axcessnews.com by Holly Sklar, proof of this is evident. “Today, family health coverage costs more than a minimum wage worker’s entire annual income.”
The Republicans are opposed to increasing the minimum wage as seen in an article by Ellen Simon on billingsgazette.com where she states that doing so “is not a solution to poverty.” Also, they believe it will add to inflation.
Many students are in conflict over whether raising the minimum wage is beneficial.
Arsen Nazaryan (’08), who works at Meyer’s Coffee shop for minimum wage, believes the increasing of the federal minimum wage level is “good, because I won’t feel like I’m working for nothing.”
Lala Shabani (’07) who works in Room 401 in the Homework Lab also agrees with Nazaryan and adds that “the raise in minimum wage will give teens an incentive to work harder at their jobs.”
However, some students believe no good will come of this raise. David Carrega (’08) strongly disagrees with the new legislation. “Traditionally, people were paid by how hard they worked. By increasing [the minimum wage], you increase the wages of those who don’t work [as hard],” he said.
            Businesses are said to suffer from minimum wage levels increasing as well. Never the less, Armineh Khanbabian, a Title I Specialist, who governs the pay for tutors in the Homework Lab, believes that the increase “won’t affect the [school’s budget] that much.” She points out that if tutors know “there is a light at the other end of the tunnel” financially, it will be an “encouragement to work more enthusiastically and effectively.”
            Khanbabian optimistically stated that “when there’s a current flowing, everything needs to go along with it.” Accordingly, she concedes that minimum wage must rise to match the present state of inflation.