_Forum_
Minimum wage key to Bush's education pledge
By Lane Kirkland
President Bush now has a
golden opportunity to fulfill his
campaign pledge to be the "ed
ucation president." and do so
without breaking his other
promise to hold the line on tax
es.
_Commentary
He can accomplish this feat
by signing into law the com
promise minimum wage in
crease recently adopted by Con
gress.
In addition to easing the
plight of America's working
poor, who haven't had a raise
since 1981, a minimum wage
increase from $3.35 to $4.55 an
hour would go a long way to
ward helping millions of teen
agers and young adults pay
their way through college.
The cutbacks in student fi
nancial aid programs during
the Reagan years have en
hanced the significance of stu
dent employment to the point
where work is now one of
America’s foremost tuition-as
sistance programs. Consequent
ly. the minimum wage legisla
tion is one of the most impor
tant education bills that will
come before the President in
this or any year.
Oddly enough, the fact that
many of those who earn the
minimum wage are teenagers is
Letters
Compensation
My letters and commentaries
having suffered grievously at
the editorial hand of Emerald
Editor-elect Thomas Prowell,
consultation with Prowell’s pa
tron saint, the Apostle Thomas,
offered compensation.
Parents with mischievous
children will be relieved to
consider they might have suf
fered the plight of Mary and Jo
seph. parents of Jesus Christ,
who at age five, according to
the Cospel of Thomas (Chapter
II) gave indication of his divine
powers and prerogatives:
"One day when it had
rained. He went out of the
house where His mother was,
and was playing on the ground
where waters were flowing
down. And when He had made
pools, the waters were coming
down, and the pools were filled
with water. Then saith He, 1
will that ye become clear and
good waters. And straightway
they became so. But a certain
child of Annas the scribe pass
ing by. and carrying a stick of
willow, upset the pools with
the stick and the waters were
poured out. And Jesus turned
and said to him. 'Wicked and
lawless one, what harm did the
pools do thee that thou didst
empty them? Thou shall not go
thy way, and thou shalt dry up
like the stick which thou
holdest.' And as he was going,
after a little, he fell down and
gave up the ghost. And when
the young children that were
playing with Him saw. they
marvelled and went and told
the father of him that was dead.
And he ran and found the
young child dead, and went
and complained to Joseph."
Bert P. Tryba
Eugene
one of the primary arguments
used by the opponents of the
increase. These young workers,
they say. couldn't possibly
have any need tor the extra in
come
Anyone familiar with the
cost of a college education
these days knows that isn't
true Over the past decade, tui
tion. fees, and room and board
expenses at private colleges
and universities have nearly
doubled Similar costs for high
er education at public four-year
institutions have increased
more than 70 percent. Yet the
minimum wage has remained
the same
While it is a fact that some
students come from families
who are wealthy enough to pay
all of their college expenses,
the skyrocketing costs associat
ed with higher education are
leaving an ever-decreasing
number of undergraduates with
this option.
According to the United
States Student Association,
about 40 percent of full-time
college students are employed,
while 90 percent of part-time
students hold jobs. The U.S.
Department of Education re
ports that one out of every five
undergraduate students re
ceives no help from either fi
nancial aid programs or their
parents: that is, they rely sorely
on their own resources to at
tend college.
Aside from increasing its fi
nancial support of educational
programs, no activity of gov
ernment could help these stu
dents more than raising the
minimum wage.
Apparently. President Hush
doesn't see it that way By
threatening to veto the mini
mum wage bill unless the in
crease is reduced by it) cents,
he fails to make the connection
between the minimum wage
and educational opportunity
Moreover, the President is in
sisting that any increase in the
minimum wage include a pro
vision for a so-called six-month
"training wage." under which
any worker starting a new job
could be paid at a sub-mini
mum rate of $;i.;tS an hour Un
der this system, students work
ing their way through college
would lie entitled to earn the
higher minimum wage only at
ter they staved at one job for a
half-year. Those who work in
termittently. or who switch
jobs several times, could end
up earning nothing more than
the sub-minimum wage
throughout their school years
In an era of limited govern
ment resources, it would seem
that raising the minimum wage
might be President Bush's lies!
available option for the time Im
ing if he truly wants to take
that important first step toward
fulfilling his pledge to he the
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lesson of experience, however,
tells us that campaign promises
often amount to less than zero
after election (lav is over. Ia>t's
hope the President lives up to
this one hv changing his mind
and signing the minimum wage
hit!.
him* irkIhiiiI is {’resident of
the American Federation of Li
bor and Congress of Industrial
t hf/anixations
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