Published October 03, 2013, 05:15 AM
Alan Maki, Warroad, Minn. letters: Government should focus on creating jobs
Alan Maki of Warroad writes in about the government and jobs. By: Alan Maki, Grand Forks HeraldWARROAD, Minn. — Another election must be around the corner because politicians are talking, again, about “jobs, jobs, jobs.”
This talk is the epitome of hypocrisy, coming as it does from politicians who refuse to make themselves legislatively accountable for attaining and maintaining full employment.
And these same politicians also have the gall to assure employers they’ll be able to pay workers sub-poverty minimum wages.
Think about this:
Why do most people work?
Don’t most people work so they won’t be poor?
Like “jobs, jobs, jobs,” the minimum wage is being kicked around by mean-spirited, self-serving politicians who first refuse to create the jobs they talk about and then they saddle millions of workers and their families with a sub-poverty Minimum Wage.
Try raising a family on a minimum wage of $6.15, $7.25, $9 or even $10 an hour. Just try.
Any schoolchild knows that if you pay people a poverty wage, they are going to be poor.
And common sense tells us workers without jobs are going to be poor.
The government should spend money on creating jobs —- jobs paying real living wages — rather than on militarization, foreign military bases, wars and occupations.
The other thing we hear politicians talk about is health care. These same politicians have platinum-grade health insurance, compliments of the taxpayers.
If we had a National Public Health Care System which was operated, administered and funded like public education, we could put 15 million people to work at real living-wage jobs in neighborhoods and community health care centers, providing the American people with free platinum-grade health care just like the politicians get at our expense.
What we need is a “21st Century Full Employment Act for Peace and Prosperity.” At last, it would make politicians accountable for their rhetoric when it comes to jobs, the minimum wage and health care.
Alan Maki
Maki is director of organizing for the Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council.