Bogus arguments on minimum wage
Re: the July 5 article “Inflated minimum wages hurt poor people.”
Jonathan Hoffman’s article reads like a primer for a course in “The Wonderful World of Capitalism.” I question his logic in equating money and productivity. He says, “The employee sells productivity for money; the employer sells money for productivity.” That’s ridiculous. The employer doesn’t sell money to anyone unless he/she is a money marketer.
The employer pays wages that assure his/her profits. Yes, those profits are especially slim for the small-business owner. An MIT study finds that the minimum hourly wage for a family of four is $32.42. This cannot be sustained by small businesses.
But Mr. Hoffman’s examples of how the system works are bogus. The backhoe guy and the shovel guy are not in the same class. No amount of fast shoveling will put the worker in the backhoe seat with a living wage. As fellow citizens we should provide an “artificial” minimum wage well above $15.
John Wilson
Foothills
Say goodbye to one-use plastics
The European Union (EU) recently announced that it will ban the sale of all one-use plastic products. This includes: cups, bottles, plates, straws, and bags. The rest of the world will follow shortly. These products are killing our planet, and it is absolutely imperative that we stop using them. The EU action is indicative of a worldwide trend. It is only a matter of time until these dangerous products are eliminated worldwide.
The United States should be at the forefront of environmentalism, not lagging behind. It is time for Arizona to join in. It is hard to believe, but Arizona, shamefully, has a law on the books making it illegal for its cities to ban plastic bags. Eliminating this law would be a viable first step and an indication that our state is no longer obstructionist but ready and willing to join the international mainstream.
Jon Dorschner
East side
Some riots are more defensible
The Capitol insurrection of Jan. 6 has been compared to the summer “riots” that followed the deaths of Black people by police. Republicans in today’s Congress will not investigate the insurrection of Jan. 6 unless the summer riots are also investigated. Doing both should not be hard. Black People have been protesting and rioting about their treatment since they were brought to the shores of this continent. It shouldn’t be hard for us to figure out why, we’ve had over 400 years to know why. In these 400 years I have not heard of Black people storming the U.S. Capitol building to stop or cancel an election no matter how mistreated they were. Special notice to Arizona Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar for voting against investigating January 6th and the Juneteenth National Independence Day. Were they upholding their oath to the “oath keepers,” the “proud boys” or the constitution!?
Dan Rogers
Midtown
A tool to gain racial insight
We cannot teach our children the untruths that it was just a few “bad apples” that decimated the Indigenous population, enslaved Africans, interned Japanese Americans, refused to recognize the rights of minorities, etc. Like it or not, these things happened, and to ignore them as the will of a white European majority is akin to teaching that the sun revolves around the Earth.
Critical race theory is not a liberal Marxist plot to cause guilt and self-loathing among white students. It is an educational tool to make all of us reflect on the mistakes of the past as to not repeat them. Our state and others, as well as some local school districts, have banned teachers from suggesting one race may have oppressed another. Terms such as “social justice,” “colonialism,” and “identity” have been suggested as CRT vernacular and therefore possibly unsuitable in the classroom. Something does not make sense when those who identify as fervently anti-Communist seek to transform history into propaganda.
Mark Hanna, former PCC board member
Foothills
Simple majority is enough here
The Republicans — and Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema — scream that removing the federal filibuster will inhibit bipartisanship and representation for the minority party. OK, if that’s the case, why not practice what you preach at the state level?
Outside of an emergency clause or Prop. 105 bill, Arizona requires only a simple majority. There are 16 Republican and 14 Democratic senators. If they so desire 3/5 majority lawmaking (18 in this case) they would have to get at least two Democrats to cross the aisle. Of course they don’t want to go there, since they know damn well they could not pass all their unfair bills.
So, while whining in Washington, they are perfectly happy using their advantage in Arizona to ram things down Arizonans’ throats. If more Democrats move to Arizona and, despite the new restrictions, a way is found to enfranchise all these voters, just remember what goes around comes around.
Thomas George
Northwest side
Guard our right to self-defense
Re: the July 5 article “City, state disagree on enforcing gun laws.”
City laws that violate the Second Amendment and contradict state law cannot stand. Imagine driving up the Interstate 93 and every city had a different law concerning AR-15s. First you are legal; then you drive 10 miles and you are a felon. Then you stop at the next town and you have committed a misdemeanor all by simply owning a legal, constitutionally protected firearm.
It’s ironic, after just celebrating the Fourth of July and the fact that so many have died to protect the Second Amendment that Tucson, in its ignorance would try to steal citizens’ right to self-defense.
Michael Pacder
North side
