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dressing this issue allows our society to split,
even more severely, into the haves and the have-
nots. It is the government's duty to keep this
split closed. Roosevelt saw this need and thus
he created and implemented the Mew Deal the
revolutionary program which created the most
affluent middle class the world has ever seen,
pulling America out of the Great Depression and
also, quite possibly, back away from the onset of
another civil war.
Perhaps, attention could be given to this
inequity through a grounds well demand that
our legislators terminate alt taxpayer-supported
health insurance, requiring all government em
ployees and elected officials to fend for them
selves in the open marketplace tike the rest of us.
Or else they could legislate us the same just level
of coverage that they have legislated themselves.
Jack Schatr
Bowman
SO IT GOES
To the Kurt Vonnegut fan that felt it was ac
ceptable to eulogize this great writer's passing
by defacing the exterior of Brown's Barber Shop
("So it goes... 1922-2007"), congratulations
on demonstrating another of his many quotes:
“Thinking doesn't seem to help very much."
Shame on you for a truly moronic act.
David R. Johnson
Athens
CAMPUS ECONOMICS
I am a little confused by Matthew Putver's
comments concerning our area economy and its
correlation to low waoes. ["Comment: looking
Squarely at Wages." Apr. 11]. In his commen
tary last week, he states that the Partners for
a Prosperous Athens are not looking at the real
cause of our county's poverty problem. He cites
that the university economy in this town drives
wages lower due to the need for fry cooks, lawn
maintenance, grocery bagging and other nomi
nal pay jobs. While this is definitely a truism in
part—that our local economy does require those
type of lower-paying jobs—I do not understand
what it is that he thinks would happen if these
jobs were not around. Would the unskilled sud
denly be taking higher-paying white collar jobs
if they didn't have to be behind a fryer or lawn
mower? Low-paying jobs (and most of us have
had them) are generally a stepping stone to
better things, whether through education or
competent performance resulting in raises or pro
motions. Some of my best managers (making well
more than the living wage) were once dishwash
ers making S5.15 an hour.
I don't think you can blame the local "campus
economy" for keeping people down. If anything,
it has saved the local economy from a very bleak
situation. Have you ever tried to get a job in
Comer? Lexington? Crawford? All are towns with
no local student economy and all have very
limited job resources for the local citizenry. If
anything, the fact the UGA is in Athens offers a
huge potential for careers in the area. Why can't
the guy mowing lawns work until he has his
own small business doing maintenance for the
myriad of student-based housing complexes in
the county? Our town has not one but two major
area hospitals, because UGA is here. There are
many professionals in the area—doctors, accoun
tants, brokers, insurance companies—because we
have this "campus economy." All these profes
sionals have staffs and lab techs and secretaries
and office cleaners and couriers. All the people
that are here because of UGA require a great deal
of support, and because they are here, we have a
thriving construction industry, numerous eater
ies, automobile dealers, architects and a plethora
of service companies like carpet cleaners, auto
rentals, day care centers, schools and so on. Look
in the Yellow Pages and see the diversity of local
companies: golf cart sales, hot tub stores, gym
nastics instructors, jewelers, print shops, banks,
cabinet makers, the list goes on. All these people
exist economically because of the so-called
"campus economy." Did some of them start out
as fry cooks? You bet. Did some of them apply
themselves, scrimp, save, educate themselves
until they got further m life ? You bet. Are some
of them stitt fry cooks? You bet.
The "campus economy" is a very good thing.
It drives this county and we should all be grate
ful it is here. While there are many entry-level
jobs that are low-paying, there are obviously
many other opportunities out there for people
to take advantage of. Whether they choose to or
are able to is a question that is unique for each
individual. The sheer amount of industry that the
campus brings in indirect ways to this town is
immeasurable. If you disagree, I suggest you hit
the streets of Lexington (or any small town). GA,
and try to find a job at $10 or $13 per hour.
Dave Cappi
ex-dishwasher, current restaurant owner
WmtetYrtbe
RE: WAGES
On the article about eliminating poverty in
Athens-Clarke ("Comment: Looking Squarely at
Wages." Apr. 11], I would like to point out some
real issues that were ignored or overlooked by
the author, a statistical micro-analyzer. I was
thrilled with his last sentence, stating he didn't
know the answer.
So here’s the answer, in an abbreviated form:
The population of Athens-Clarke is the labor
supply. The consumers of Athens are the labor
demand. Businesses are a vehicle for commerce.
A commerce delivery system
The labor supply and the labor demand is the
same thing, the same people. Mandatory wage
increases make sense on one side of the coin,
but it's an expense on the business side that is
going to be passed on to the consumers, who are
also the beneficiaries of the higher wage. The
equation is balanced. The only real result is local
inflation.
If the ACC government takes steps to bnng
more businesses to Athens, the demand for labor
increases. Assuming the labor supply (popula
tion) remains static, wages will rise.
But the 1200-pound Lesemann in the room
is still not being addressed. We are looking at
this whole problem like Athens is inside of a
snowglobe. The fact is. all these borders are of a
collective imagination. People need to know that
happiness and success are a journey, not a desti
nation. If you have a passion for writing cliches
and a new clicht factory opens m Portland, then
you can go to Portland and be the best ctich*
writer of all time, and maybe Christopher Guest
will mock you someday.
What I'm saying is there's only two excuses
for poverty in Athens, and that’s disability, or
being Fred Schneider.
If we are assuming it's the government's role
to set wages, then we have to look at the big
picture, and that means that a basic understand
ing of economics be applied to a solution. If job
growth exceeds population growth, wages will
rise. Just think about that for a while.
Fletcher Williams
Athens
RECKLESS DRIVING
I would like to formally apologize to two
Jittery Joe's-sponsored cyclists. While driving on
the afternoon on Apr. 13,1 nearly caused a very
serious accident as I cut in front of two bikers at
the intersection of South Milledge Avenue and
Will Hunter Road while fidgeting with my iPod.
Being a fairly regular biker myself, I am thor
oughly embarrassed by my reckless driving that
nearly cost the lives of two citizens. As technol
ogy advances further, it becomes easier and
easier for drivers to succumb to distraction and
selfishness while on the road. Driving is a privi
lege, it is not a right. Cyclists and motorcyclists
face a fatality rate five times higher than other
drivers. I want to preach the importance of full-
attention driving. Put down the cell phone, iPod,
makeup, food, whatever. These two bikers and
I were fortunate, many are not so lucky. Once
again, I apologize.
Jay Bush
Athens
Photographer Anne Yarbrough
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