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