Goldilocks does Tacoma

Once Seattle's black sheep brother, Tacoma wants to be cool too;

Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland, at the urging of a leading business group, agreed Tuesday to work toward a ballot measure that provides a gradual increase to the city’s minimum wage.

Poison in small doses, however, is still poison. Which might be the gist of this letter to her Honoress from the Chamber of Commerce;

Seattle's economy is stronger than our own Tacoma economy and has a much higher cost of living. Just look at the cost of housing in Seattle, where the median rent is 60% higher .... One of Tacoma's strengths is its relatively affordable cost of living for the Puget Sound region.

Which Tacoma has managed without the city manipulating private sector wages. But The Chamber is aware of appearances, so they say;

We acknowledge the need to address the minimum wage issue here in Tacoma. The business community could support a more carefully crafted alternative....we would encourage you to convene a group of stakeholders to find a right-sized local solution for Tacoma to offer voters as an alternative.

Of course, Tacomans already have an alternative; they can choose to patronize businesses that pay their employees whatever amount they choose. No voting booths needed. Why remove that alternative that has worked for so long to make Tacoma a demi-paradise?