Barack Obama issued an executive order in February raising the minimum wage for federal workers from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. An unintended consequence? Some military veterans are being kicked out of nursing homes.
As explained by Sandy Franks, public affairs officer at Shreveport, Louisiana’s Overton Brooks V. A. Medical Center, nursing homes that have contracts for subsidized care from the Veterans Administration are federal contractors. If they refuse to raise their wages, their contracts will not be renewed.
Several veterans at Overton Brooks reacted to the bad news:
“We fought all your wars, and now we’re broke. Where do we go from here?”, wheelchair-bound former Marine A.J. Crain asks.
“We gotta go. Simple as that. We gotta go,” says Vietnam War Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient John Washington.
“I’m not too happy over the situation,” grumbles former Navy sailor Charles Shufflin: “I’m not so worried about myself, but the veterans that have no place to live.”
So, what’s your take? Is the Shreveport V.A. Medical Center to blame, or is it inevitable that artificially raising wages – vs. allowing the free market to decide – will continue to produce unintended consequences?