OKC Libertarians Commentary Page

David Splinter: Bad Trade-off
Thomas Bell: Exactly the same

Exactly the same

Letter to the Editor
The Oklahoman 6/11/06

The organization known as "Unity08" has an interesting idea. Its Web site (www.unity08.com) proposes to select one Democrat and one Republican to run on the same presidential ticket, with the Democrat as president and the Republican as vice president, or vice versa. That proposal proves what I've been saying all along: Republicans and Democrats are one and the same! Whether it's Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani or John McCain and John Kerry, they are exactly the same. If we continue to elect from the "Repubocrat" Party, our country is headed into tyranny and away from the libertarian paradigm of individual liberty, free-market economy and limited-government republic, which gave prosperity to our nation.

Thomas Bell,
Midwest City

Bad Trade-Off

Letter to Editor
The Gazette 5/24/06

Policy decisions involve trade-offs: some win, some lose. Raising Oklahoma's minimum wage means some workers will receive higher wages while other will lose their jobs.

Raising labor costs discourages businesses from creating jobs, while making investments in technology more attractive. In a recent release, the UCO Policy Institute said that a 2% decrease in teenage employment historically follows a 10% increase in the minimum wage. The current ballot initiative would raise the state minimum wage by at least 39%, perhaps causing 8% of teenagers to lose their jobs or go unemployed. Is this the right way to create opportunities for young Oklahomans?

I believe in supporting businesses paying living wages. We need a way to identify those businesses so we can support them. Just as we have Fair Trade coffee and Smoke-Free restaurants, businesses can identify themselves as Living Wage Employers. If consumers are informed, we can vote with our pocketbooks.

Even though raising the minimum wage may benefit some individuals, it limits overall job creation. Instead, with voluntary support of Living Wage Employers, our community stays responsible for supporting our young employees.

David Splinter