In “New look at government among to-do items for ’10” (Our Views, Jan. 3), The Oklahoman urged the Obama administration not to pursue another stimulus. Obama’s proposed job creation plan (the third such “stimulus” in two years) doesn’t effectively address the country’s double-digit unemployment rate. Instead, the plan is more than likely to add to the country’s $12 trillion national debt.

If truly interested in job creation and retention, the administration should revisit the burden Congress has placed on employers through a 40 percent increase in the minimum wage. Research shows that increasing the minimum wage triggers unemployment for vulnerable groups like black teens. Two years after Congress passed the Fair Minimum Wage Act, half of black teens seeking jobs are unable to find one.

Congress should take steps to lessen the financial burden that minimum wage increases have imposed on employers, allowing them to hire workers with greatest need for experience and income.

Kristen Lopez Eastlick, Washington, D.C.