LETTERS

Revisit wealth and income

We recently returned from a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand.

There has been much political debate, both nationally and locally regarding raising the minimum wage. Some letters have pointed to both Canada and Australia as models. A recent letter chastised Bradley Gitz’s March 3rd column. I pulled and read it, and I believe Dr. Gitz is spot on.

Wealth is created. It is not a zero-sum matter. I think Gitz fully understands and demonstrated the difference between wealth and income. Readers need to review that column.

It is true that the minimum wage in Australia is twice as high as ours-close to $15 an hour. However, I can assure you that a minimum-wage earner in America-and ones especially in Arkansas-has much more buying power than a minimum-wage earner in Australia or even in Canada.

Unlike what one correspondent claimed, a “Big Mac” in Australia is a lot more expensive than “just a few cents” more than one here. We checked. A Big Mac meal here ranges from $4.80 to $5.70 (Big Mac, small fries and small drink). In Australia, the least we found was $8.60. We saw as high as $12. Mc-Donald’s one-dollar menu here is their two-dollar menu there.

We found on the whole that everything was at least twice as expensive in Australia as here, with many things four times as expensive. Bananas were selling for $8 a kilo (about $3.64 per pound). The money exchange rate is about even.

America, I believe, is still the greatest place to live.

JOE TUCKER Cabot Offer words of value

Empty words are words that sound good but have no meaning because there is no positive action behind those words.

What would you think of one seeking public office that said, “I do not know what I can do, but I will do the best I can for the people I serve”? Instead they often make promises they cannot keep, and this is empty words.

Those in office are “public servants” and I believe they should not have retirement benefits or many of the other perks they enjoy at our expense. Empty words may sound good, but after a while one learns that they did speak words of no value and trust is lost.

Profitable words are words with positive actions motivated by a deep concern for those that might hear. Empty words are words of selfishness and self-centeredness. We are entering the time, and are already in it, when we will hear a lot of empty words from those seeking public office. I do not desire to hear one candidate run down another just to get elected. I want to hear their position on the issues that face this great country.

So please, do not give us empty words, but words of value.

FREDDY BOEN Fordyce

Best money can buy

According to the ads I’ve seen, when Tom Cotton gets financial assistance from outside of Arkansas, that is to be looked upon with disdain, as if he is being bought by outside special interest groups. However, when the wife of a Disney bigwig in California hosts a fundraiser for Sen. Mark Pryor for up to $10,400 per person, that is apparently supposed to be just fine and dandy.

Oddly, it seems when the Koch brothers are denounced for supporting conservative causes, we hear nothing about billionaire George Soros giving millions to the liberals on the left. We used to joke that we have the best politicians that money can buy. If that’s true, I think we are getting shortchanged.

Here’s hoping for some major improvement in November.

JOHN EATON Benton

Dinner with Mr. Putin

The sermon was about all of us being sinners (Episcopalians?) and it was long, so I found myself imagining I was having dinner with Mr. Vladimir Putin. I wanted it to be in his house to see if it was palatial like those of so many dictators, but the environment was not clear.

Mr. Putin was clear, however, and I considered it my job to make him laugh. Once I saw him smiling, and I remember he had a nice smile.

So I asked him about his wrestling. I’d seen him on TV flexing impressive muscles and wondered if he still engaged in matches. Of course I saw the tanks and guns lined up next to Ukraine, and I knew he played games big-time, like the Winter Olympics. So let’s talk about that.

What a challenge he undertook to have the greatest display ever for the games! And to motivate his country’s players to win so much. The man is remarkable. Even our best fumbled. Imagine that.

But Putin’s knowledge of history intrigues me. My knowledge of history is poor because I’m always reading between the lines, but I bet Mr. Putin could list the cause for the fall of great empires: scattered military, lead in the water, a self-indulging populace. Spot the weaknesses and strike.

I guess we’re talking about timing. Seems to me Mr. Putin’s an expert in sensing timing and helping it along. The U.S.A. is tired of war. We’ve had three in countries very foreign to us, and our boys haven’t held up too well.

We’re tired of war. It’s time to pay attention to our own country.

JUDITH BAUM North Little Rock

Economic principles

Once again lottery officials are wringing their hands over the drop in ticket sales. Any wonder? Groceries, fuel, taxes and health-insurance costs are taking larger and larger bites of our incomes which leads me to believe lottery patrons have at least some sense of economics-spend the money on what’s necessary first.

I think allowing debit-card purchases, installing vending machines or inventing new games to entice buyers is no different than the business example of the mindset of the watermelon farmer who had no idea that growing them was costing him $2 apiece. With his son by his side assisting him with making an elaborate sign, staking out the most visible spot in the market and arranging his melons in an elaborate display he goes to market and sells every one of the watermelons on his truck for $1 apiece and puts $200 into his pocket at the end of the day. Proud of his business prowess he tells his son-if we’re going to make some real money, we’re going to need a bigger truck!

RUSSELL LEMOND Little Rock

Equalize opportunity

In many states, kindergarten through 12th-grade students have to attend schools depending on where they live. This can really limit school choice as being only for parents that can afford to move to a better school district area or to pay private-school tuition.

There are some parents that can barely afford to move to a better school district at all. That’s why I think school choice should be available for everyone. It would expand the educational opportunities for all students in Arkansas and it would encourage a healthy competition.

Since citizens have to pay taxes for the government to be able to provide education in schools, they should at least be able to pick which schools they want to attend. Since most parents want what is best for their children, school choice should be an option. This is a free country and we should all be provided with the same opportunities as others.

BROOKLYN L. TODY Sherwood

Workers deserve raise

I believe a livable wage is a moral imperative. Jesus said the laborer deserves his keep, which is to say a living. That means pay employees a livable wage so they can care for their families.

The UN charter requires member states to respect and observe human rights. The charter is a contract or treaty among nations. That word “observe” means to adhere to or abide by. Human rights are defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The right to a livable wage is one of them. The Constitution states that the laws and treaties of the U.S. are the supreme law of the land binding on all judges in every state. See Article VI.

Eleanor Roosevelt called the declaration the Magna Carta of mankind. It was promoted as a standard of achievement for all nations, but it does define human rights in the charter, a treaty. The world has long since passed the time when these rights are achievable. The world must now enforce them in all nations with trade and other sanctions.

We can begin here at home by raising the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. Hamburgers will cost a few cents more, but the workers will be able to buy their own products, and owners’ incomes will go up. I figure an increase of $2.85 per hour to the minimum wage would stimulate demand in our economy by over $500 billion per year. (Multiply the number of workers affected by the average increase in wages and by 2,000 hours per year times the number of times this money will be respent in a year.) RUUD DuVALL

Fayetteville Keep the noise down

All indications are that the Department of Parks and Tourism is planning to invite a bunch of motorcyclists to visit, tour and spend money in our fair state. To assist in this effort, brochures are being printed and maps made available to guide them to all the Natural State has to offer.

This may be viewed as a laudable effort by some, but I urge the department to insist that a small portion of the revenue generated by these guests be apportioned to pay overtime for the cops to seriously enforce anti-noise ordinances along the way since motorcycles, especially the brand having two names, are egregiously noisy, especially en masse.

I have had occasion to lunch on Dickson Street in Fayetteville when these folks were parading around town creating a disharmonious cacophony so vexing that I could not finish my Caesar salad. I suspect these ultra-decibel emissions are welcomed by their riders since the decibel level that their bikes produce are apparently inversely proportional to their IQ.

As just an ordinary citizen, I say motorcycles should be just as quiet as automobiles. If a motorcycle can be heard two blocks away, waking grandma from her afternoon nap, then it’s too bloody loud!

RICHARD CLARK Little Rock

Feedback

Why no progress?

Earlier this year, Politico had an update to H.L. Mencken’s list of the states, best to worst. Mencken’s list was published in 1931, and Arkansas ranked 45th of 48. Politico redid the list, using a variety of criteria, and Arkansas was ranked 49th of 51 (D.C. was considered a state for this ranking).

After all these years, with considerable money and intellect expended, the state has not made progress. Why is this? What are the barriers to progress in this state that have not been overcome after all these years? I would like to see your paper look into these questions, and try to give an answer. Other states did make progress, why not Arkansas?

JAMES HENRY Fort Smith

A vexing direction

I read that the Dalai Lama recently delivered the opening invocation in the Senate, praying to “Buddha and all.”

Is this the direction our country is going? I pray for God to have mercy on us even though we do not deserve it.

JANE BASS Little Rock

Editorial, Pages 11 on 03/31/2014

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