THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS (Oct. 30): S C A N D S D...
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Thursday, 11.1.12 ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net VIEWS PAGE: [email protected] 4 PRESS DAKOTAN views I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. Isaiah 61:10. Portals of Prayer, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis T HE P RESS D AKOTAN THE DAKOTAS’ OLDEST NEWSPAPER | FOUNDED 1861 Yankton Media, Inc., 319 Walnut St., Yankton, SD 57078 OPINION | OTHER THOUGHTS Storm Lives Up To Its Dreaded Forecast FROM THE BIBLE YOUR LETTERS By The Associated Press Today is Thursday, Nov. 1, the 306th day of 2012. There are 60 days left in the year. This is All Saints Day. Today’s Highlight in History: On Nov. 1, 1512, Michelangelo’s just-completed paintings on the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sis- tine Chapel were publicly unveiled by the artist’s patron, Pope Julius II. On this date: In 1765, the Stamp Act went into effect, prompting stiff resistance from American colonists. In 1861, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln named Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan General-in-Chief of the Union armies, succeeding Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott. In 1870, the United States Weather Bu- reau made its first meteorological observa- tions. In 1936, in a speech in Milan, Italy, Benito Mussolini described the alliance be- tween his country and Nazi Germany as an “axis” running between Rome and Berlin. In 1944, “Harvey,” a comedy by Mary Chase about a man and his friend, an in- visible six-foot-tall rabbit, opened on Broadway. In 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to force their way into Blair House in Washington, D.C., in a failed attempt to as- sassinate President Harry S. Truman. (One of the pair was killed, along with a White House police officer.) In 1952, the United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb, code-named “Ivy Mike,” at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Is- lands. In 1954, Algerian nationalists began their successful rebellion against French rule. In 1968, the Motion Picture Association of America unveiled its new voluntary film rating system: G for general, M for mature (later changed to GP, then PG), R for re- stricted and X (later changed to NC-17) for adults only. In 1972, author and poet Ezra Pound died in Venice, Italy, at age 87. In 1979, former first lady Mamie Eisen- hower died in Washington, D.C., at age 82. In 1989, East Germany reopened its border with Czechoslovakia, prompting tens of thousands of refugees to flee to the West. Ten years ago: A federal judge ap- proved most provisions of an antitrust set- tlement between Microsoft and the Justice Department. A Russian spacecraft carrying two cosmonauts and a Belgian astronaut docked with the international space station. Queen Elizabeth II’s surprise revelation that she knew butler Paul Burrell had taken some of Princess Diana’s possessions for safekeeping prompted prosecutors to drop theft charges against the servant. Five years ago: British college student Meredith Kercher, 21, was found slain in her bedroom in Perugia, Italy; her room- mate, American Amanda Knox and Knox’s Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were later convicted of killing Kercher, but both had their guilty verdicts overturned. (Rudy Guede, a petty criminal who was convicted separately, remains imprisoned.) Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, who’d pi- loted the B-29 bomber Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died in Columbus, Ohio, at age 92. Less than a week after workers ratified a new contract, Chrysler announced 12,000 job cuts. One year ago: Europe’s days-old plan to solve its crippling debt crisis and restore faith in the global economy was thrown into chaos by Greek Prime Minister George Pa- pandreou’s stunning decision to call a ref- erendum on the country’s latest rescue package. (Papandreou dropped the refer- endum plan two days later.) Embattled Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and Major League Baseball reached an agreement to sell the troubled franchise. Dorothy Rodham, 92, mother of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clinton’s mother-in-law, died in Washington. Today’s Birthdays: Actress Betsy Palmer is 86. Golfer Gary Player is 77. Country singer Bill Anderson is 75. Actress Barbara Bosson is 73. Actor Robert Fox- worth is 71. Actress Marcia Wallace is 70. Magazine publisher Larry Flynt is 70. Country singer-humorist Kinky Friedman is 68. Actress Jeannie Berlin is 63. Music pro- ducer David Foster is 63. Rhythm-and- blues musician Ronald Khalis Bell (Kool and the Gang) is 61. Country singer-song- writer-producer Keith Stegall is 58. Country singer Lyle Lovett is 55. Actress Rachel Ticotin is 54. Rock musician Eddie Mac- Donald (The Alarm) is 53. Rock singer An- thony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 50. Pop singer-musician Mags Furuholmen (a- ha) is 50. Rock musician Rick Allen (Def Leppard) is 49. Country singer “Big Kenny” Alphin (Big and Rich) is 49. Singer Sophie B. Hawkins is 48. Rapper Willie D (Geto Boys) is 46. Country musician Dale Wal- lace (Emerson Drive) is 43. Actress Toni Collette is 40. Actress Jenny McCarthy is 40. Rock musician Andrew Gonzales is 40. Actor David Berman is 39. Actress Aish- warya Rai is 39. Rock singer Bo Bice (“American Idol”) is 37. Actor Penn Badgley is 26. Actor Max Burkholder is 15. Actor- musician Alex Wolff is 15. Thought for Today: “Good taste is the worst vice ever invented.” — Dame Edith Sitwell, English poet (1887-1964). TODAY IN HISTORY MANAGERS Gary L. Wood Publisher Michele Schievelbein Advertising Director Tonya Schild Business Manager David Jeffcoat Circulation Director Tera Schmidt Classified Manager Kelly Hertz Editor James D. Cimburek Sports Editor Beth Rye New Media Manager Kathy Larson Composing Manager Bernard Metivier District Manager Published Daily Monday-Saturday Periodicals postage paid at Yankton, South Dakota, under the act of March 3, 1979. Weekly Dakotian established June 6, 1861. Yankton Daily Press and Dakotian established April 26, 1875. Postmaster: Send address changes to Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, 319 Wal- nut, Yankton, SD 57078. *** *** *** *** MEMBERSHIPS The Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan is a member of the Associ- ated Press, the Inland Daily Press Associa- tion and the South Dakota Newspaper Association. The Asso- ciated Press is entitled exclusively to use of all the local news printed in this newspaper. SUBSCRIPTION RATES* (Payable in advance) CARRIER DELIVERY 1-month . . . . .$12.09 3 months . . . .$36.27 6 months . . . .$72.53 1-year . . . . . .$133.09 MOTOR ROUTE (where available) 1 month . . . . .$14.51 3 months . . . .$43.53 6 months . . . .$87.05 1 year . . . . . .$139.14 MAIL IN RETAIL TRADE ZONE 1-month . . . . .$16.93 3 months . . . .$50.79 6 months . . .$101.57 1-year . . . . . .$148.82 MAIL OUTSIDE RETAIL TRADE ZONE 1 month . . . . .$19.35 3 months . . . .$58.05 6 months . . .$116.09 1-year . . . . . .$186.33 * Plus applicable sales tax for all rates CONTACT US PHONE: (605) 665-7811 (800) 743-2968 NEWS FAX: (605) 665-1721 ADVERTISING FAX: (605) 665-0288 WEBSITE: www.yankton.net EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected] ——— SUBSCRIPTIONS/ CIRCULATION: Extension 112 CLASSIFIED ADS: Extension 108 NEWS DEPARTMENT: Extension 114 SPORTS DEPARTMENT: Extension 106 ADVERTISING OFFICE: Extension 122 BUSINESS OFFICE: Extension 119 NEW MEDIA: Extension 136 COMPOSING DESK: Extension 129 Andrew Atwal Derek Bartos Brett Beyeler Cassandra Brockmoller Rob Buckingham Randy Dockendorf Jeannine Economy Jeremy Hoeck Nathan Johnson Muriel Pratt Sheldon Reed Noelle Schlechter Jamie Selves Cathy Sudbeck Kelsey Thomas Brenda Willcuts Jackie Williams DAILY STAFF *** BY WILLIAM KERR For the Press & Dakotan “How to improve the economy, increase jobs and increase U.S. tax revenue without increas- ing our deficit.” Is that really possible? I think so. And, no candidate or incumbent I have heard is even mentioning the idea. “One obvious place to begin would be to increase the minimum wage, which as Roo- sevelt Institute senior fellow, Richard Kirsch points out, now buys 30 percent less than it did 40 years ago.” So stated the arti- cle “The Missing Economic Debate,” writ- ten by Sherle R. Schwenninger in the Oct. 29 edition of The Nation. It would all be spent immediately as it is received by the working people, who haven’t had a rise in buying power since 1968, while normal price rises have taken prices up on just about everything they buy considerably since then. (I can’t imagine many people working for minimum wages putting the extra money into a savings or investment account.) So, with nearly 2 million people (according to the U.S. Depart- ment of Labor) working at that level, if the Congress would raise the minimum wage to $12 per hour, it would bring to the economy nearly $2 billion per year, with no cost to the U.S. government. But wait, that isn’t all. If we raise the minimum to $12, there will be a lot more people who have already been earning be- tween $7.25 per hour and $12 per hour who would then also get a rise in pay. Might even bring in close to another billion dollars per year. As more things were purchased consistently, store- keepers would soon have to hire back some of the employees they had released due to the reduction in their cash register income after the recession hit. Those re-hired employees would also spend most of the extra income right along with their regained in- come, and both would give another boost to the econ- omy. Soon those increases would reach the point where suppliers would have to hire back a few more formerly released employees to handle the increased business. Next when the stocks of the suppliers and the manufacturers began to reduce, the manufactur- ers would have to begin hiring back some of those they released during the recession to handle the increased business. I just can’t imagine many of the workers or the re-hires would immediately begin to save either their newfound wages or the extra minimum wage money. We are just not a people with saving ways. If you don’t be- lieve me, look at how many people today are using credit cards for living expenses. I don’t have figures, but I see them using credit cards in grocery stores as well as de- partment stores! My parents would turn in their graves to see such goings on! Then, too, with this increase most of our minimum-wage workers who have not been paying income tax (the ones Mitt Romney has said he doesn’t care about) would earn enough money to now pay income tax — and more income tax if they were already earning enough to pay income tax before the increase. On top of that, the owners of many suppliers and small businesses might ultimately pay a little more income tax as a result of the extra business. And best if all, none of this extra income would cost the government any money and therefore not increase the national debt! How about them ap- ples? I do understand that the increase would be a little hard on the retailers until the money started bringing in the additional business, but on the other hand, many of those whom they have laid off when this re- cession began have had four years of hardship with no income of consequence. It’s so simple, it’s hard — and dumb not make the increase so millions (and the government) can benefit by it. Because it’s dumb not to do it, Congress hasn’t and probably won’t without some pressure, maybe from a newly elected president and newly elected congresspersons if you voters do a good job. Writer’s Block A Minimum-Wage Idea William KERR BY ROBERT G. DUFFETT Dakota Wesleyan University Dakota Wesleyan University, Mitchell and South Dakota lost a dear friend. George McGovern, age 90, DWU Class of 1946, died early Sunday morning, Oct. 21, 2012. As a congressman, senator, and the Democratic candidate for the American presidency in 1972, he gained international fame. Rolling Stone magazine’s 40th anniversary issue said McGovern was one of the most significant people in the last half of the 20th cen- tury. As I view his life, three talents may account for his meteoric rise. First, George was an exceedingly bright man. This was a gift of birth. Yet, he developed this gift by read- ing and writing — two habits that sharpen the intel- lect. We at DWU claim the importance of lifelong learning, recognizing no college provides a complete education. Rather, a DWU education is a springboard to a lifetime engagement with important ideas. George absorbed this lesson. He wrote books, articles and speeches almost to the very last day of his life. What nature gave, George developed. By his own admission, he was shy — not the type of person attracted to debate or politics. Yet, through one he found the other. A teacher at Mitchell High School suggested this painfully shy boy join the extro- verted debate team. He flourished, continued debate at DWU, and became a nationally renowned college debater. Later, as professor of history at DWU, he was the debate team coach. The discipline of debate strengthened his ability to research ideas, marshal ar- guments, present them in persuasive ways, and then next time, argue against what last week he affirmed. Debate was his second talent. Love of history is the third talent. George himself said he had great history teachers at both Mitchell High and DWU. At DWU he was particularly influ- enced by Dr. James Van Kirk. Van Kirk spent his entire teaching career at DWU. He, like George, obtained his Ph.D. in American history from Northwestern Univer- sity. I have always thought this was George’s best tal- ent. It set him apart from almost every politician. He knew instinctively that any contemporary political problem, issue, or crisis had a trail of past events or factors. He could see that trail and context, which gave him portentous insight. For instance, George was no pacifist. He knew evil exists and war is sometimes the only way to counter it. He was a legitimate hero of what Studs Terkel called the Good War. He was against the war in Vietnam be- cause the Vietnamese, like American colonists in 1776, sought independ- ence and autonomy. He argued Ameri- can armies in Vietnam were analogous to and as welcome as the British Red Coats. He saw this sooner and more clearly than most due to historical insight. Was it debate or history that pushed him to poli- tics? I am not sure. What I am sure of is that these tal- ents gave him a significant advantage on the campaign trail, in the Senate, and in his writings and speeches. History provides content, context and in- sight; debate the means to explicate ideas. His religious faith brought together his three tal- ents. The Wesleyan Methodist church of his father, the Rev. Joseph McGovern, called people to personal faith and activated them to do something useful in the world. For George, the useful part derived from the universal moral imperatives from Sunday School Bible stories: • Feed the hungry; • Cloth the naked; • Do good to all humanity; • Do justice; • Learn war no more. Due to the emotional excesses of zealous believ- ers, George carried a lifelong reticence about per- sonal faith. Yet, he built his world-shaping political career on social and humanitarian issues grounded in Christian ethics. Like an Old Testament prophet, he lifted our moral vision and summoned society to a higher ethical plane. Some say George was the greatest humanitarian and peacemaker of our era. Rolling Stone magazine thought so. This is why we at DWU honor him by naming our library, Center for Leadership and Public Service and a museum for him. It all began here in South Dakota; his influence had worldwide impact. Jesus’ words may be a fitting epitaph for his life: “Blessed are the peacemakers ... they are the sons of God.” Duffett is president of Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell. Point Of View George McGovern’s Three Talents Duffett WRITE US n Make your feelings known! Write to the PRESS & DAKOTAN on a topic of the day, in re- sponse to an editorial or story. Write us at: Letters, 319 Walnut, Yankton, SD 57078, drop off at 319 Walnut in Yankton, fax to (605) 665-1721 or email to [email protected]. Sincere Appreciation! Steve Sternhagen, Yankton Yankton County Child Protection Team I would like to acknowledge and recognize the generous support from the Yankton United Way, Yank- ton Crime Stoppers, and Ladies Fire Auxiliary for sponsoring the True Lies Bullying Assembly. This assem- bly was held on Friday October 26 at both the Yankton Middle School and the Yankton High School. Nationally renowned speakers Phil Chalmers and L.G. Wise presented a dynamic and powerful presentation which ad- dressed teen violence, substance abuse and bullying. The fast-paced presentation delivered information about the consequences of making poor choices and decisions while trying to empower and encourage the youth to take a stand and make positive choices to end substance abuse, violence and bullying. Again thank you to all the individuals and groups who made this presentation a success. THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS (Oct. 30): Hurricane Sandy rede- fined what it means to be in harm’s way. Billed as the perfect storm, an Atlantic maelstrom unrivaled in gen- erations, Sandy became all that and more — morphing into superstorm Sandy, in the parlance of TV weathercasters, paralyzing and splintering a huge swath of the East Coast, then punishing a quarter of the na- tional map with relentless rain and wind, and even an October blizzard. The monster that roiled the ocean reached across and roiled the Great Lakes. The monster that shut down New York became the monster that shut down a presidential campaign. In that regard, it touched all Ameri- cans. The campaign hiatus was fitting and proper, albeit a political no- brainer for President Barack Obama and GOP rival Mitt Romney. With dozens dead and unaccounted for, with millions without power and wondering about putting their homes and businesses back together, politics needed to take a back seat. Blunt-spoken New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie perhaps said it best, as he pondered the devastation of his state’s coastline, ground zero for Sandy’s landfall Monday night. “I don’t give a damn about Election Day,” Christie told reporters. “I’ve got bigger fish to fry” ... The job of putting more than 20 storm-ravaged states back in work- ing order will be less dramatic. Millions of New Yorkers in the center of the nation’s business nerve wondered how they would be getting to work in the days ahead after the subway system suffered a level of damage it hadn’t seen in a century . ... The PRESS & DAKOTAN Views page provides a forum for open discussion of issues and interests affecting our readers. Initialed editorials represent the opin- ion of the writer, but not necessarily that of the PRESS & DAKOTAN. Bylined columns represent the view of the author. We welcome letters to the editor on current topics. Questions regarding the Views page should be directed to Kelly Hertz at [email protected]. THE VIEWS PAGE
Transcript of THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS (Oct. 30): S C A N D S D...
Thursday, 11.1.12ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net
VIEWS PAGE: [email protected] PRESS DAKOTANviews
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for He hasclothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robeof righteousness. Isaiah 61:10. Portals of Prayer, Concordia PublishingHouse, St. Louis
THE PRESS DAKOTANTHE DAKOTAS’ OLDEST NEWSPAPER | FOUNDED 1861
Yankton Media, Inc., 319 Walnut St., Yankton, SD 57078
OPINION | OTHER THOUGHTS
Storm Lives Up ToIts Dreaded Forecast
F RO M T H E B I B L E
YO U R L E T T E R S
By The Associated PressToday is Thursday, Nov. 1, the 306th
day of 2012. There are 60 days left in theyear. This is All Saints Day.
Today’s Highlight in History: On Nov.1, 1512, Michelangelo’s just-completedpaintings on the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sis-tine Chapel were publicly unveiled by theartist’s patron, Pope Julius II.
On this date: In 1765, the Stamp Actwent into effect, prompting stiff resistancefrom American colonists.
In 1861, during the Civil War, PresidentAbraham Lincoln named Maj. Gen. GeorgeB. McClellan General-in-Chief of the Unionarmies, succeeding Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott.
In 1870, the United States Weather Bu-reau made its first meteorological observa-tions.
In 1936, in a speech in Milan, Italy,Benito Mussolini described the alliance be-tween his country and Nazi Germany as an“axis” running between Rome and Berlin.
In 1944, “Harvey,” a comedy by MaryChase about a man and his friend, an in-visible six-foot-tall rabbit, opened onBroadway.
In 1950, two Puerto Rican nationaliststried to force their way into Blair House inWashington, D.C., in a failed attempt to as-sassinate President Harry S. Truman. (Oneof the pair was killed, along with a WhiteHouse police officer.)
In 1952, the United States explodedthe first hydrogen bomb, code-named “IvyMike,” at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Is-lands.
In 1954, Algerian nationalists begantheir successful rebellion against Frenchrule.
In 1968, the Motion Picture Associationof America unveiled its new voluntary filmrating system: G for general, M for mature(later changed to GP, then PG), R for re-stricted and X (later changed to NC-17) foradults only.
In 1972, author and poet Ezra Pounddied in Venice, Italy, at age 87.
In 1979, former first lady Mamie Eisen-hower died in Washington, D.C., at age 82.
In 1989, East Germany reopened itsborder with Czechoslovakia, promptingtens of thousands of refugees to flee to theWest.
Ten years ago: A federal judge ap-proved most provisions of an antitrust set-tlement between Microsoft and the JusticeDepartment. A Russian spacecraft carryingtwo cosmonauts and a Belgian astronautdocked with the international space station.Queen Elizabeth II’s surprise revelationthat she knew butler Paul Burrell had takensome of Princess Diana’s possessions forsafekeeping prompted prosecutors to droptheft charges against the servant.
Five years ago: British college studentMeredith Kercher, 21, was found slain inher bedroom in Perugia, Italy; her room-mate, American Amanda Knox and Knox’sItalian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, werelater convicted of killing Kercher, but bothhad their guilty verdicts overturned. (RudyGuede, a petty criminal who was convictedseparately, remains imprisoned.) RetiredAir Force Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, who’d pi-loted the B-29 bomber Enola Gay thatdropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima,died in Columbus, Ohio, at age 92. Lessthan a week after workers ratified a newcontract, Chrysler announced 12,000 jobcuts.
One year ago: Europe’s days-old planto solve its crippling debt crisis and restorefaith in the global economy was thrown intochaos by Greek Prime Minister George Pa-pandreou’s stunning decision to call a ref-erendum on the country’s latest rescuepackage. (Papandreou dropped the refer-endum plan two days later.) Embattled LosAngeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourtand Major League Baseball reached anagreement to sell the troubled franchise.Dorothy Rodham, 92, mother of Secretaryof State Hillary Rodham Clinton and formerPresident Bill Clinton’s mother-in-law, diedin Washington.
Today’s Birthdays: Actress BetsyPalmer is 86. Golfer Gary Player is 77.Country singer Bill Anderson is 75. ActressBarbara Bosson is 73. Actor Robert Fox-worth is 71. Actress Marcia Wallace is 70.Magazine publisher Larry Flynt is 70.Country singer-humorist Kinky Friedman is68. Actress Jeannie Berlin is 63. Music pro-ducer David Foster is 63. Rhythm-and-blues musician Ronald Khalis Bell (Kooland the Gang) is 61. Country singer-song-writer-producer Keith Stegall is 58. Countrysinger Lyle Lovett is 55. Actress RachelTicotin is 54. Rock musician Eddie Mac-Donald (The Alarm) is 53. Rock singer An-thony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 50.Pop singer-musician Mags Furuholmen (a-ha) is 50. Rock musician Rick Allen (DefLeppard) is 49. Country singer “Big Kenny”Alphin (Big and Rich) is 49. Singer SophieB. Hawkins is 48. Rapper Willie D (GetoBoys) is 46. Country musician Dale Wal-lace (Emerson Drive) is 43. Actress ToniCollette is 40. Actress Jenny McCarthy is40. Rock musician Andrew Gonzales is 40.Actor David Berman is 39. Actress Aish-warya Rai is 39. Rock singer Bo Bice(“American Idol”) is 37. Actor Penn Badgleyis 26. Actor Max Burkholder is 15. Actor-musician Alex Wolff is 15.
Thought for Today: “Good taste is theworst vice ever invented.” — Dame EdithSitwell, English poet (1887-1964).
TO DAY I N H I S TO RY
MANAGERS Gary L. Wood
Publisher
Michele SchievelbeinAdvertising Director
Tonya SchildBusiness Manager
David JeffcoatCirculation Director
Tera SchmidtClassified Manager
Kelly HertzEditor
James D. CimburekSports Editor
Beth RyeNew Media Manager
Kathy LarsonComposing Manager
Bernard MetivierDistrict Manager
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DAILY STAFF
* * *BY WILLIAM KERRFor the Press & Dakotan
“How to improve the economy, increase jobs andincrease U.S. tax revenue without increas-ing our deficit.”
Is that really possible? I think so. And,no candidate or incumbent I have heard iseven mentioning the idea.
“One obvious place to begin would be toincrease the minimum wage, which as Roo-sevelt Institute senior fellow, RichardKirsch points out, now buys 30 percent lessthan it did 40 years ago.” So stated the arti-cle “The Missing Economic Debate,” writ-ten by Sherle R. Schwenninger in the Oct.29 edition of The Nation.
It would all be spent immediately as it isreceived by the working people, whohaven’t had a rise in buying power since1968, while normal price rises have takenprices up on just about everything theybuy considerably since then. (I can’t imagine manypeople working for minimum wages putting the extramoney into a savings or investment account.) So, withnearly 2 million people (according to the U.S. Depart-ment of Labor) working at that level, if the Congresswould raise the minimum wage to $12 per hour, itwould bring to the economy nearly $2 billion per year,with no cost to the U.S. government. But wait, thatisn’t all. If we raise the minimum to $12, there will be alot more people who have already been earning be-tween $7.25 per hour and $12 per hour who wouldthen also get a rise in pay. Might even bring in closeto another billion dollars per year.
As more things were purchased consistently, store-keepers would soon have to hire back some of theemployees they had released due to the reduction intheir cash register income after the recession hit.Those re-hired employees would also spend most ofthe extra income right along with their regained in-come, and both would give another boost to the econ-omy. Soon those increases would reach the point
where suppliers would have to hire back a few moreformerly released employees to handle the increasedbusiness. Next when the stocks of the suppliers andthe manufacturers began to reduce, the manufactur-
ers would have to begin hiring back someof those they released during the recessionto handle the increased business.
I just can’t imagine many of the workersor the re-hires would immediately begin tosave either their newfound wages or theextra minimum wage money. We are just nota people with saving ways. If you don’t be-lieve me, look at how many people todayare using credit cards for living expenses. Idon’t have figures, but I see them usingcredit cards in grocery stores as well as de-partment stores! My parents would turn intheir graves to see such goings on!
Then, too, with this increase most of ourminimum-wage workers who have not beenpaying income tax (the ones Mitt Romney
has said he doesn’t care about) would earn enoughmoney to now pay income tax — and more incometax if they were already earning enough to pay incometax before the increase. On top of that, the owners ofmany suppliers and small businesses might ultimatelypay a little more income tax as a result of the extrabusiness. And best if all, none of this extra incomewould cost the government any money and thereforenot increase the national debt! How about them ap-ples?
I do understand that the increase would be a littlehard on the retailers until the money started bringingin the additional business, but on the other hand,many of those whom they have laid off when this re-cession began have had four years of hardship withno income of consequence.
It’s so simple, it’s hard — and dumb not make theincrease so millions (and the government) can benefitby it. Because it’s dumb not to do it, Congress hasn’tand probably won’t without some pressure, maybefrom a newly elected president and newly electedcongresspersons if you voters do a good job.
Writer’s Block
A Minimum-Wage Idea
William
KERR
BY ROBERT G. DUFFETT Dakota Wesleyan University
Dakota Wesleyan University, Mitchell and SouthDakota lost a dear friend. George McGovern, age 90,DWU Class of 1946, died early Sunday morning, Oct.21, 2012.
As a congressman, senator, and the Democraticcandidate for the American presidency in 1972, hegained international fame. Rolling Stone magazine’s40th anniversary issue said McGovern was one of themost significant people in the last half of the 20th cen-tury.
As I view his life, three talents may account for hismeteoric rise.
First, George was an exceedingly bright man. Thiswas a gift of birth. Yet, he developed this gift by read-ing and writing — two habits that sharpen the intel-lect. We at DWU claim the importance of lifelonglearning, recognizing no college provides a completeeducation. Rather, a DWU education is a springboardto a lifetime engagement with important ideas. Georgeabsorbed this lesson. He wrote books, articles andspeeches almost to the very last day of his life. Whatnature gave, George developed.
By his own admission, he was shy — not the typeof person attracted to debate or politics. Yet, throughone he found the other. A teacher at Mitchell HighSchool suggested this painfully shy boy join the extro-verted debate team. He flourished, continued debateat DWU, and became a nationally renowned collegedebater. Later, as professor of history at DWU, he wasthe debate team coach. The discipline of debatestrengthened his ability to research ideas, marshal ar-guments, present them in persuasive ways, and thennext time, argue against what last week he affirmed.Debate was his second talent.
Love of history is the third talent. George himselfsaid he had great history teachers at both MitchellHigh and DWU. At DWU he was particularly influ-enced by Dr. James Van Kirk. Van Kirk spent his entireteaching career at DWU. He, like George, obtained hisPh.D. in American history from Northwestern Univer-sity. I have always thought this was George’s best tal-ent. It set him apart from almost every politician. Heknew instinctively that any contemporary politicalproblem, issue, or crisis had a trail of past events orfactors. He could see that trail and context, whichgave him portentous insight. For instance, George
was no pacifist. He knew evil exists andwar is sometimes the only way tocounter it. He was a legitimate hero ofwhat Studs Terkel called the Good War.He was against the war in Vietnam be-cause the Vietnamese, like Americancolonists in 1776, sought independ-ence and autonomy. He argued Ameri-can armies in Vietnam were analogousto and as welcome as the British RedCoats. He saw this sooner and more
clearly than most due to historical insight.Was it debate or history that pushed him to poli-
tics? I am not sure. What I am sure of is that these tal-ents gave him a significant advantage on thecampaign trail, in the Senate, and in his writings andspeeches. History provides content, context and in-sight; debate the means to explicate ideas.
His religious faith brought together his three tal-ents. The Wesleyan Methodist church of his father,the Rev. Joseph McGovern, called people to personalfaith and activated them to do something useful in theworld. For George, the useful part derived from theuniversal moral imperatives from Sunday SchoolBible stories:
• Feed the hungry;• Cloth the naked;• Do good to all humanity;• Do justice;• Learn war no more.Due to the emotional excesses of zealous believ-
ers, George carried a lifelong reticence about per-sonal faith. Yet, he built his world-shaping politicalcareer on social and humanitarian issues grounded inChristian ethics. Like an Old Testament prophet, helifted our moral vision and summoned society to ahigher ethical plane.
Some say George was the greatest humanitarianand peacemaker of our era. Rolling Stone magazinethought so. This is why we at DWU honor him bynaming our library, Center for Leadership and PublicService and a museum for him. It all began here inSouth Dakota; his influence had worldwide impact.
Jesus’ words may be a fitting epitaph for his life:“Blessed are the peacemakers ... they are the sons ofGod.”
Duffett is president of Dakota Wesleyan Universityin Mitchell.
Point Of View
George McGovern’s Three Talents
Duffett
W R I T E U S n Make your feelings known! Write to the PRESS & DAKOTAN on a topic of the day, in re-sponse to an editorial or story. Write us at: Letters, 319 Walnut, Yankton, SD 57078, drop off at319 Walnut in Yankton, fax to (605) 665-1721 or email to [email protected].
Sincere Appreciation!Steve Sternhagen, YanktonYankton County Child ProtectionTeam
I would like to acknowledge andrecognize the generous supportfrom the Yankton United Way, Yank-ton Crime Stoppers, and Ladies FireAuxiliary for sponsoring the TrueLies Bullying Assembly. This assem-bly was held on Friday October 26 atboth the Yankton Middle School andthe Yankton High School. Nationallyrenowned speakers Phil Chalmers
and L.G. Wise presented a dynamicand powerful presentation which ad-dressed teen violence, substanceabuse and bullying. The fast-pacedpresentation delivered informationabout the consequences of makingpoor choices and decisions whiletrying to empower and encouragethe youth to take a stand and makepositive choices to end substanceabuse, violence and bullying. Againthank you to all the individuals andgroups who made this presentationa success.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS (Oct. 30): Hurricane Sandy rede-fined what it means to be in harm’s way.
Billed as the perfect storm, an Atlantic maelstrom unrivaled in gen-erations, Sandy became all that and more — morphing into superstormSandy, in the parlance of TV weathercasters, paralyzing and splinteringa huge swath of the East Coast, then punishing a quarter of the na-tional map with relentless rain and wind, and even an October blizzard.
The monster that roiled the ocean reached across and roiled theGreat Lakes.
The monster that shut down New York became the monster thatshut down a presidential campaign. In that regard, it touched all Ameri-cans.
The campaign hiatus was fitting and proper, albeit a political no-brainer for President Barack Obama and GOP rival Mitt Romney. Withdozens dead and unaccounted for, with millions without power andwondering about putting their homes and businesses back together,politics needed to take a back seat.
Blunt-spoken New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie perhaps said it best, ashe pondered the devastation of his state’s coastline, ground zero forSandy’s landfall Monday night.
“I don’t give a damn about Election Day,” Christie told reporters.“I’ve got bigger fish to fry” ...
The job of putting more than 20 storm-ravaged states back in work-ing order will be less dramatic. Millions of New Yorkers in the center ofthe nation’s business nerve wondered how they would be getting towork in the days ahead after the subway system suffered a level ofdamage it hadn’t seen in a century. ...
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