Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies
NEWS

Letters to the Editor

'Student' editorial wrong on Issue 2

In The Miami Student's Sept. 22 editorial, several reasons are given to support Issue 2, the Ohio Fair Minimum Wage Amendment. Basically, The Student's argument revolves around the editorial board agreeing "with the initial wage increase and subsequent increases ... that would be instated by the amendment." The devil, however, is in the details. Adding this amendment to the Ohio Constitution could have deleterious effects beyond the fuzzy economics of the issue itself.

The Ohio Constitution is not the appropriate vehicle for raising the minimum wage, regardless of whether or not one supports the minimum wage on its merits. The Ohio Fair Minimum Wage Amendment is neither an organic law nor a principle of government worthy of inclusion in a constitution. Also, any reform or refinement of the Ohio Fair Minimum Wage Amendment would have to be done through further constitutional amendments.

I cannot reconcile the economics of The Student's editorial. It states, "student employees ... will see an almost immediate wage increase ... The money used for an increased minimum wage doesn't disappear into a black hole; rather, it is funneled back into the local economy." My concern is how the money for these higher wages will be raised. In the case of a job at Miami, students and Ohio taxpayers would provide the funds. In the private sector, the bill would be paid either by the employer (by reducing profits) or by the consumer (by paying higher prices).

Furthermore, increasing the minimum wage seems to presume that the employer-employee relationship is exploitive by its nature. I doubt minimum wage employees are forced into their jobs by evil employers holding guns to their heads. The relationship must be mutually beneficial or minimum wage employees would not seek, accept and keep minimum wage jobs.

In fact, an increased minimum wage might harm the lowest-skilled workers by decreasing the quantity of low-skilled labor demanded in the economy. If employers are forced to pay $6.85 hourly wages, plus applicable payroll taxes, they will maximize return on their investment by forgoing the lowest-skilled workers the amendment's supporters hope to help.

One thing is certain: Money neither disappears nor comes from a "black hole." Higher consumer prices or higher unemployment rates will negate the nominal value of the increase.

The solution to poverty does not lie in increasing the minimum wage but in increasing one's production possibilities through education. By making the minimum wage lifestyle more palatable, increasing the minimum wage only reduces low-skilled laborers' incentive to improve their capabilities. The best solution is extolling the benefits of education and industriousness, not degrading low-skilled workers by mandating social welfare statutes that imply that workers have no self-improvement capacities.

I would encourage everyone to read the full text of the Ohio Fair Minimum Wage Amendment and consider its likely outcomes. I think this will lead most to vote a resounding "no" on Issue 2.

THADDEUS BOGGSBoggstm@muohio.Edu

Terry Peavy unfairly portrayed by Dawisha

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

Upon reading the Sept. 29 article "Memories never fade for Peavy," it appeared that Emile Dawisha wanted to show a positive out of a negative, but instead slanted his pen. Dawisha referred to Nathan's father as a "drug addicted low-life." Although it is true that his father battled with drug addiction during his life, he was in no way a low-life.

In general, people do not want to have any association with what some people in society refer to as low-lives. Low-lifers socialize with other low-lifers is the sentiment. So, if Terry Peavy's funeral service is any evidence, Dawisha has just called most of the residents in the Miami Valley low-lifers. Not only was the funeral overflowing with well-wishing mourners, numerous cards, letters and visitors made known their sympathies of his passing. This confirmed that although Terry Peavy struggled with drug addiction, everyone knew that the real person inside was a compassionate and caring human being.

I would also suggest that the writer visit an African-American community and witness the many black men, both young and old, and their children. He will find that the majority of them do operate in the capacity of good father figures. Surely these black responsible fathers do not think of themselves as a rarity, but rather that they are only doing their natural fatherly duty. Dawisha would discover for himself that black men do love and care for their sons and daughters. In fact, the black community would feel great insult if they knew of his comments.

Although Nathan Peavy dreams of playing in the NBA, this is no different from other young people of all nationalities. Consequently, Nathan also knows that with education his choices in life broaden. He feels blessed that with his wide variety of career choices, playing professional basketball may be one of them. Nathan has not endured any more hardships than the majority of people. He probably has experienced even fewer hardships than most people his age. I think the hardships he will deal with are the ones that people like Dawisha will try to create for him. Thank God that he has grown into a strong, good and decent young man. Nathan Peavy is actually walking in his father image without addiction.

Marcia jordanaunt of nathan peavymjordan1415@aol.com

Editor's Note:

In the Oct. 3 issue, the letter to the editor "Communism letter misses the mark" incorrectly references Brian Alexander as the author of a previous letter to the editor. Benjamin Alexander wrote a letter Sept. 29.


Read More

Trending