Page A-4 - Mason County Journal - Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Taxes an issue;
don't boost
minimum wage
Editor, the Journal
This is in response to a
letter in the Oct. 23 Mason
County Journal.
The writer states that most
women cannot afford to stay
home. That is true, but it's
largely due to taxes. Most of
us pay 40 percent to 50 per-
cent of our incomes in vari-
ous forms of taxes, including
income tax, sales tax, use tax,
business and occupation tax,
property tax, gas tax, phone
tax, utility tax, and on and on
and on.
One-half of an average fam-
ily's income goes directly to
government in the form of tax-
es - either Morn or else Dad
is working entirely for the
government. It's little wonder
that Morn (or Dad) can't afford
to stay home.
This country had no per- Jo l Letter Policy
manent income tax prior to
, drop it
damage than they cure.
The vast majority (90 per-
cent) of American and Cana-
dian economists agree that
minimum-wage laws result in
higher unemployment among
young people.
If we mandate that these
jobs pay a "living wage," we
put a number of these busi-
nesses out of business, force
the firing or laying off of work-
ers, and young people who
cannot get their first jobs. Min-
imum-wage laws make not the
slightest economic sense, but
they sound good.
Yet the clamor for higher
minimum wages is getting
so loud that it must be right,
right?
Think back to high
school How many were
taught basic economics? Nope,
we weren't even taught how
to balance our checking ac-
counts.
The bottom line is that hu-
man beings always do better
when given the freedom to
make their own choices.
Bruce Finlay
Shelton
1913. We were promised it
would only be taxed to the
very wealthiest Americans,
and we were promised it
would never go above 1 per-
cent of income. Look at where
we are now.
Second, the writer com-
plains that some candidates
are against higher minimum
wages.
But not one in a million
voters (or legislators) un-
derstands the real effects of
minimum-wage laws. With a
higher minimum wage, some
workers will indeed enjoy
higher pay.
But others will lose their
jobs or have their hours cut
or will never get hired in the
first place; these people will
be hurt by a higher minimum
wage.
If employers are required
by law to pay more in wages,
they have two choices: (1)
cut costs or (2) charge
more. Some businesses can-
not raise their prices without
losing customers, and none
will accept lower profits with-
out finding a way to remedy
that problem.
For those businesses that
can raise prices, their custom-
ers have to pay more to get
the same value.
So while some benefit from
a higher minimum wage,
many, many others are
harmed.
There is no such thing as a
free lunch in economics.
Poke part of the beast, a
different part reacts.
And here's a fact that no
one seems to remember: our
nation's first federal minimum-
wage laws were enacted at
the request of Northern union
contractors to prevent competi-
tion from Southern minority
contractors.
That's right, the first min-
imum-wage law was racist in
effect and designed to benefit
Northern union contractors-
not workers.
Higher minimum-wage
laws benefit union employers
by lessening competition from
non-umon employers, who
now have to pay a wage rate
closer to that of union employ-
ers.
A more direct way to
achieve this result would be
to require that all employers
be unionized, which I realize
some people advocate for.
But you simply cannot
interfere with the inner work-
ings of a market without
cauSing negative, unintended
consequences that cause more
wh h
or
Incident over
political sign
not surprising
Editor, the Journal
I am responding to the Ma-
son County Journal letter to
the editor by Larry King titled
"Campaign signs matter of
free speech."
King's letter, for one thing,
points out that our dear Sen.
and Commissioner Tim Shel-
don is capable of human reac-
tions just like regular folk --
the angry shouting he vented
on Mr. King.
Several cycles back, I re-
ceived a survey and request
for campaign funds. It came
accompanied with his usual
campaign prop photo depicting
him as one of us greasy, rain-
coat-wearing logger types.
I filled out the survey.in-
dicating I didn't really agree
with his "tough choices," but
being a generous person, I
Scotch-taped two pennies on
the form in the pledge section.
A couple of evenings later,
he phoned me at home right
at dinnertime. He started yell-
ing, and the longer he talked,
the louder and more angry
he sounded. He finally said,
"Winne, you're one hell of an
economist!" and slammed the
phone down.
I got to say one word,
"Hello." Behind that big, won-
derful smile are other human
frailties.
Charles L. Winne
Hoodsport
Vandals who
destroy signs
denying rights
Editor, the Journal
This is an open letter
to those persons who have
defaced, knocked down or
removed political signs dur-
ing this recent and ongoing
campaign.
It is odd to me that those of
you who destroy the signs or
posters of those who are run-
ning against your candidate
think you are doing them
a favor. Whether you are a
vandal, overzealous or just a
common thug, you are deny-
ing those who put the signs up
the most basic of our rights,
the First Amendment.
• Perhaps you have heard
of it; it's called freedom of
speech. It is the First Amend-
ment for a reason, because
without it, you have nothing.
All the other amendments
-- from the popular Second
Amendment and M1 freedoms
we as Americans, Republican
or Democrat, cherish -- can-
not endure without the First
Amendment.
Your acts of vandalism
are tearing away the founda-
tion of our rights worse than
any other act of terrorism
and with a more profound
effect.
For example, it is voter
suppression. This campaign
season is quickly coming to an
end, but you candidates for
political office can still stand
up and speak out.
Unless you condone this be-
havior, tell your supporters to
step weakening our freedom
of speech.
Fred Seminara
Union
see LETTERS, page A-5
Mason County
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