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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2016)
Bruce Gagnon of the Global Network Against Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space says, “It is my belief that since the JFK assassination the secret government, the CIA and the [Military Industrial Complex], have been running the show. They have not allowed anyone to become president, from either party, that was not under their control.” Obama has a CIA background. In Arkansas, the Clintons played a role in Iran-Contra (in cahoots with the Bushes). Sanders does not have that connection, so he won’t be allowed to “win.” Sorry. None of the above is an honorable choice. Mark Robinowitz Eugene ON WAGES AND PRICES We tend to have a split personality when it comes to spending money versus earning it. We demand cheap prices on everyday items like food and household goods, yet we want to have the grocery clerk, the farm laborer and everyone in the supply chain making a “living wage.” Pick one or the other — you don’t get both. It is a great idea that every adult working 40-plus hours a week should have a living wage. Is mandating $15 per hour the right thing to do? It sounds great, but how will it affect local small businesses, which are barely hanging on? The real problem is the cost of living. How come we never discuss alternatives like lowering the cost of living? Probably because it is too diffi cult of an issue to discuss, and just giving people more money is easy. If you believe that people deserve a living wage, stop spending your money at big box stores. Support small businesses, call the owner and tell them you will support them if they pay a living wage. Once the store raises prices to accommodate a living wage for its employees, you must continue shopping there. Don’t complain about the high prices. Allen Hall Eugene SEEK REAL JUSTICE The offi cial rate of youth unemployment (16-19 years old, all races and ethnicity) in 2015 is 14.8 percent. For whites it is 13.1 percent; for Asians 12.2 percent; for Hispanics it is 17.2 percent; and for African-Americans it is 22.4 percent. Those U.S. statistics show that unemployment for African-Americans is 71 percent greater than for whites. But that is just the offi cial story. If you work at all, you are counted in federal statistics as employed, even if it is just a few hours a week. That exaggerates the number of employed persons. It is hard getting by with minimum wage work in any case, but surviving on part-time work is very diffi cult — if not impossible. As a corrective, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) included all high school graduates in its statistics if they were not enrolled in further schooling. And instead of just counting the unemployed using federal statistics, the EPI looked for “labor under-utilization.” Using EPI analysis, African-American youth unemployment is really 51 percent. That is unpardonable. It is one of the results of hundreds of years of intense discrimination and abuse — in the fi rst instance, as slaves, and continuing as rampant discrimination written into law, only slowly being corrected. Current examples include regulations restricting access to voting in a variety of ways, particularly in the old South. And the grotesque numbers of unjustifi able law enforcement shootings of blacks must end. We need a lot more success to approach real justice and equality. Tom Giesen Eugene Switch to a SELCO Platinum Visa and save. ® I left my big bank card for a SELCO Platinum Visa, and I’m glad I did. No annual, balance transfer, or cash advance fees A low annual interest rate that helps me save money Friendly, local service when I call or visit my branch Call SELCO today to see how easy it is to switch. selco.org / 541-686-8000 Several locations in Eugene and Springfi eld NMLS# 402847 Membership requirements apply. See SELCO for details. Banking | Mortgages | Insurance | Retirement | Business Lending EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • JANUARY 28, 2016 7
