Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson declared a war on poverty in his State of the Union Address, saying, "Many Americans live on the outskirts of hope — some because of their poverty. And our task is to help replace their despair with opportunity." He later echoed those statements in May 1964 while visiting Ohio University in Athens.

Today, we're still fighting the war on poverty. One of our country's most significant problems is that our current minimum wage isn't close to being a living wage.

As the Repository story "Is $7.95 enough? Talk about increase in minimum wage sparks debate with businesses, politicos" (Jan. 22) pointed out, the struggles of fast-food cook Tom Arnott and dishwasher Buddy Carnes are representative of too many in Stark County who are working harder than ever but barely getting by.

That's why it's well past time to raise the minimum wage in our country.

Recently, I visited four Ohio businesses that are supportive of an increase in the federal minimum wage. These businesses and their owners know that treating their employees right isn't good just for them, it's good for business.

LED TO PROSPERITY

President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act into law 75 years ago. This legislation ensured that American workers would receive a minimum wage and would work reasonable hours. By guaranteeing that hard work in our nation meant fair wages and decent working conditions, President Roosevelt helped to lead our country out of the worst economic climate we've ever faced to decades of prosperity.

A minimum wage helped to lift millions of Americans out of poverty and into the middle class.

Our workers today work just as hard as they did when Roos-evelt was president, yet our fair wage laws do not reflect that. Too many families in Canton, Massillon and across Stark County are still struggling. Those who work hard and play by the rules should be able to take care of their families.

Nearly 1.3 million Ohioans work in a minimum-wage job. Working full time in a minimum-wage job in Ohio pays about $16,000 per year — which isn't much to live on when you're trying to put food on the table, fill your gas tank, send your children to school and provide a safe place for them to live.

In fact, the minimum wage has lost nearly one-third of its buying power since its peak in 1968. Ohio's minimum wage of $16,000 per year is about $2,000 below the poverty level for a family of three. And while Ohio has a slightly higher minimum rate than other states, it is still too low. Once again, the minimum wage in this country should be a living wage.

INCREASES IN STEPS

That's why I'm fighting to pass the Fair Minimum Wage Act, which would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour in three steps of 95 cents — then provide for automatic annual increases linked to changes in the cost of living, as Ohio's minimum wage already does.

The bill would also gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped workers for the first time in 20 years. This tipped minimum wage currently stands at just $2.13 an hour. Our bill would increase it to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage.

More than 30 million American workers would get a raise with our bill. The vast majority — 88 percent — are adult workers, and more than half are women. Nearly a quarter of all American children — totaling 18 million — have parents who would get a raise.

But it's not just about the families who will be directly affected. Canton Council President Allen Schulman is right: Increasing the minimum wage means more money pumped into local economies.

In fact, a 2013 Economic Policy Institute report found that increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour would increase GDP by nearly $33 billion over the course of three years as workers spend their raises in local businesses and in their communities. This economic activity could generate 140,000 new jobs over the course of three years.

Ensuring a fair wage is good for middle-class families and good for Stark County's economy. Raising the minimum wage for its workers is long overdue.

Sherrod Brown has represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate since 2007. A Democrat, he lives in Cleveland.