1/6: A poorly-timed minimum wage increase

It's 2009 – do you know what that means? Another pay increase for Coloradans earning minimum wage.

More on that in a moment on the Face The State Radio Minute.

In 2006 voters passed Amendment 42, which mandates annual increases to the minimum wage based on inflation.

Proponents of minimum wage law feel for your average Joe 6-pack laborer. And, most of us who worked our way through college in a minimum wage restaurant job can relate. But economics 101 tells us the money for a pay increase doesn't materialize out of thin air: it comes from business' bottom lines.

As businesses muddle through tough economic times, state mandated pay increases only make times tougher for business owners who are being forced to decide between firing employees and making their payroll budgets.

This pay hike is in the Constitution, but as the legislature reconvenes this week, it's time for our representatives to put the economy first for once.

For FaceTheState.com, I'm Brad Jones.