A kick in the teeth
Monday, January 5, 2009 12:12 AM PST
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E-mail this articleJan. 5 Letters to the Editor
A kick in the teeth
I picked up the Dec. 12 paper and was instantly enraged by the PUD worker headline (Dec. 12 article). In a time when companies left and right are seeking government bailouts, why these people’s wages increase so much is beyond me. The standard company line, “Cowlitz County has one of the cheapest rates in the country,” sits like a ball of lead in my stomach.
If we do have one of the “cheapest rates,” why do they have a middle range in wages? Shouldn’t it match the rate — like cheapest wages? When most families in the area must be on the budget plan to pay their monthly electric bill to the PUD, the increases are astounding and seriously disturbing to this customer. I don’t mean that the employees shouldn’t be paid for their work, but this is really such a blasted kick in the teeth.
Amy Knowles
Longview
Bailout isn’t the answer
Reading Jim Hill’s letter on Dec. 30 about the auto industry bailout confirms that some folks can politicize anything beyond belief. How anyone can rationalize spending billions to reward failure is beyond me. Just a few facts about union productivity may shed more light on the issue:
• An assembly person with the Big Three receives a total of $73.78 per hour in wages and benefits.
• The above union workers take 35-plus hours to assemble an automobile.
• At non-union plants, (Toyota and others) the assembly persons receive a total of $48.50 an hour in wages and benefits.
• These non-union workers assemble an automobile in 28 hours.
It would seem to me that this is an issue that needs a lot more common sense that political rhetoric. If we continue to solve problems with bigger bailouts we are only prolonging the inevitable failure of our whole system. Obviously, our politicians have not been very successful in solving any of our economic problems of the past few decades.
Allan Schwindt
Silver Lake
It’s all Greek
May I add just a quick comment to Theda Williamson’s excellent letter of Dec. 29 on the origins of the word “X-mas.” Because of Alexander’s conquests in the 4th century B.C., most early Christians used Greek in their daily lives and church liturgy. The Greek word for Christ was “Christos,” which was spelled in Greek letters as “XPIETOE.” Hence, the “X” in X-mas.
Another familiar Christian symbol is the fish, which in Greek is an “ichthus,” or in the Greek alphabet, is “IXOYE.” Each letter stands for another Greek word, so it is really an anagram. The five letters stand for: “Jesus, Christ, God’s, Son, Savior” in English. Thank you and happy New Year to all.
Michael King
Longview
A public apology
(Daily News reporter) Amy Fisher visited our store on Commerce the day after Christmas. She did a very good job on the (Dec. 27) article and made me really see what type of person I have become. Sorry I complained about the streets, guys. I know that was not the reason for lack of customers. People just couldn’t get out. That was a lot of snow in a short amount of time and we are just not equipped to handle it since it hardly ever happens.
Here’s the other thing: I have always considered myself a Christian. May I publicly apologize for saying, “Christmas didn’t happen.” The sales weren’t what we had hoped for, but Christmas happened. Holding hands around our dinner table, seeing the dimples in my grandkids’ smiling faces as we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus ... now that was Christmas. Being housebound because of the snow allowed people to not be so commercial about Christmas this year.
I read the online comments made after Amy’s story. On behalf of the business owners, we honestly do try to keep it clean downtown. There are trash receptacles folks can use when they finish their drinks instead of throwing it on the ground. We do clean the alley almost daily when the dumpsters have been gone through at night and it has been strewn about. So the next time you’re on Commerce, stop in and say hi.
Barb Berg
Longview
Say ‘no’ to more taxes
In this time of financial crisis, it seems that everyone who is an “executive” for city, state, PUD and already making over $100,000 a year is getting a raise. But the peons are getting just that and nothing more.
And the poor and middle class are being told how poor our government is, how they cannot afford this or that. And at the same time, the executives still get their raises.
Gov. Gregoire got her raise, as did the other high paid state executives. She said she gave hers to a charity. How about giving it back to the government. According to her, she could not refuse, since it was a commission that voted for it. I’m sure they voted for their raise at the same time. Let’s get rid of this commission. It’s merely made up of friends of the legislators and makes more people to pay for doing nothing.
Our so-called representatives have now voted to charge us for NWC. That’s noxious weed control, folks, and I’m sure that tax will only be enough to pay for one more person to drive around and look at the noxious weeds growing along the roads. They also want to charge for the water that God sends us in the county that we allow to go down to the rivers so the cities can pull it out to drink, and woe to us if we try to stop it.
It’s time to get involved, and say “no” to more taxes.
Phyllis Makinster
Kelso
All are appreciated
We want to let the mailperson, paper delivery person, road crews and the PUD know how much they are appreciated. We received our paper every morning, even though he had to step across the berm the snow plow left. Also, our mail came every day, even though they had to also step across the berm. I know the PUD crews would much rather be home with their families on Christmas day, but they were out in force fixing our power lines so we had power back in three to four hours.
The folks who tried to keep the road open did a fantastic job plowing and sanding. We were not able to get out because we had no studded tires or chains, but we are retired and did not have to go out. My daughter came and got us Christmas Eve in a rout-wheel drive and brought us home so we were able to celebrate Christmas with the family, which was nice.
Ken and Judy Swicker
Kelso
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