Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, Yankton, SD - T D ’ O N | F...
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T HE P RESS D AKOTAN THE DAKOTAS’ OLDEST NEWSPAPER | FOUNDED 1861 Yankton Media, Inc., 319 Walnut St., Yankton, SD 57078 Thursday, 3.6.14 ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net VIEWS PAGE: [email protected] PRESS DAKOTAN PAGE 4 views OPINION | OTHER THOUGHTS The D.C. Virus Strikes Again Train up a child. Proverbs 22:6. Portals of Prayer, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis FROM THE BIBLE By The Associated Press Today is Thursday, March 6, the 65th day of 2014. There are 300 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On March 6, 1836, the Alamo in San An- tonio, Texas, fell to Mexican forces after a 13-day siege. On this date: In 1834, the city of York in Upper Canada was incorpo- rated as Toronto. In 1853, Verdi’s opera “La Travi- ata” premiered in Venice, Italy. In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford that Scott, a slave, was not an American citizen and could not sue for his free- dom in federal court. In 1912, Oreo sandwich cookies were first introduced by the National Biscuit Co. In 1933, a national bank holiday declared by President Franklin D. Roosevelt aimed at calming panicked depositors went into effect. Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, wounded in an attempt on Roosevelt’s life the previ- ous month, died at a Miami hospital at age 59. In 1944, U.S. heavy bombers staged the first full-scale American raid on Berlin during World War II. In 1953, Georgy Malenkov was named premier of the Soviet Union a day after the death of Josef Stalin. In 1964, heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay officially changed his name to Muhammad Ali. In 1967, the daughter of Josef Stalin, Svetlana Alliluyeva, appeared at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and declared her intention to defect to the West. In 1970, a bomb being built inside a Greenwich Village townhouse by the radical Weathermen accidentally went off, destroying the house and killing three group members. In 1983, in a case that drew much notoriety, a woman was gang-raped atop a pool table in a tavern in New Bedford, Mass., called Big Dan’s; four men were later convicted of the at- tack. In 1994, Greek actress-turned- politician Melina Mercouri, 73, died in New York. Ten years ago: President George W. Bush, playing host to Mexican President Vicente Fox at his Texas ranch, backed off on plans to require frequent Mexican travelers to the U.S. to be fingerprinted and photographed before crossing the border, a reversal welcomed by Fox. A water taxi cap- sized in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, killing five people. Five years ago: The government reported the jobless rate reached 8.1 percent in February 2009. While ac- knowledging an “astounding” number of job losses, President Barack Obama told critics of his $787 billion economic recovery plan in Columbus, Ohio, that it was saving jobs and said, “I know we did the right thing.” NASA’s planet-hunting spacecraft, Kepler, rocketed into space on a voyage to track down other Earths in a faraway patch of the Milky Way galaxy. One year ago: Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a critic of the Obama adminis- tration’s drone policy, launched an old- style filibuster to block Senate confirmation of John Brennan’s nomi- nation to be CIA director; Paul lasted nearly 13 hours before yielding the floor. Syria’s accelerating humanitar- ian crisis hit a grim milestone as the number of U.N.-registered refugees topped 1 million, half of them children. Today’s Birthdays: Orchestra conductor Julius Rudel is 93. Former FBI and CIA director William Webster is 90. Former Federal Reserve Chair- man Alan Greenspan is 88. Author Gabriel Garcia Marquez is 87. Or- chestra conductor Lorin Maazel is 84. Former Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova is 77. Former Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., is 75. Ac- tress-writer Joanna Miles is 74. Actor Ben Murphy is 72. Opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is 70. Singer Mary Wil- son (The Supremes) is 70. Rock mu- sician Hugh Grundy (The Zombies) is 69. Rock singer-musician David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) is 68. Actress Anna Maria Horsford is 67. Actor-di- rector Rob Reiner is 67. Singer Kiki Dee is 67. Broadcast journalist John Stossel is 67. Composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz (“Godspell”) is 66. Rock singer-musician Phil Alvin (The Blasters) is 61. Sports correspondent Armen Keteyian is 61. Actor Tom Arnold is 55. Former child actress Suzanne Crough is 51. Actor D.L. Hughley is 50. Country songwriter Skip Ewing is 50. Actor Shuler Hens- ley is 47. Actress Connie Britton is 47. Actress Moira Kelly is 46. Actress Amy Pietz is 45. Rock musician Chris Brod- erick (Megadeth) is 44. NBA player Shaquille O’Neal is 42. Country singer Trent Willmon is 41. Country musician Shan Farmer (Ricochet) is 40. Rapper Beanie Sigel is 40. Rapper Bubba Sparxxx is 37. Rock musician Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend) is 30. Actor Eli Marienthal is 28. Actor Jimmy Galeota is 28. Rapper/pro- ducer Tyler, the Creator is 23. Actor Dillon Freasier (Film: “There Will Be Blood”) is 18. Actress Savannah Stehlin is 18. Thought for Today: “Best be your- self, imperial, plain and true!” — Eliz- abeth Barrett Browning, English poet (1806-1861). ON THIS DATE MANAGERS Gary L. Wood Publisher Michele Schievelbein Advertising Director Tonya Schild Business Manager Michael Hrycko Circulation Director Tera Schmidt Classified Manager Kelly Hertz Editor James D. Cimburek Sports Editor Beth Rye New Media Director 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 104 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 Melissa Bader Derek Bartos Cassandra Brockmoller Rob Buckingham Randy Dockendorf Jeannine Economy Jeremy Hoeck Nathan Johnson Robert Nielsen Muriel Pratt Jessie Priestley Matt Robinson Cathy Sudbeck Sally Whiting Jo Ann Wiebelhaus Brenda Willcuts Jackie Williams DAILY STAFF *** YOUR LETTERS BY WILLIAM KERR For the Press & Dakotan In August of 1932, I began the first grade in el- ementary school. That November, Franklin De- lano Roosevelt was elected president of the United States of America. As I progressed through elementary, junior high and high schools, the president and the Demo- cratic Congress elected with him devel- oped the New Deal agencies. They closed the banks for 30 days until Con- gress could create reasonable regula- tions so the banks could not do many of the things that caused them severe financial problems bordering on bank- ruptcy and just do regular banking. Then they created a program to hire the unemployed to repair and update our infrastructure. In 14 months or so, they reduced unemployment from 25 percent when he was elected to 11 per- cent, and it was not long after that it was reduced to whatever was consid- ered normal at that time. They continued by creating a Department of Labor and a minimum wage that workers could live on. It was set up so that when the Office of Management and Budget’s annual computation of the cost of living rose the minimum wage would rise the same percent. In the meantime, the labor unions were striking and making gains in working conditions. When I was in the 10th grade, the Federal Housing Authority had been formed and offered to back mortgage loans at 10 percent down; my parents were able to raise $850 down with their savings, and borrowing a few hundred from rela- tives and bought a new three-bedroom home for $8,500. My mother soon went to work in a de- fense plant to make extra payments on the mort- gage. The defense plants were both building up our own military equipment and supplying same to our allies. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, my father quit his white collar job and went to work in a former “defense” plant, which was now a war plant. Sometime while all this was happening, Con- gress created the Social Security program whereby some part of every worker’s wages would be put into a trust fund and invested. Then, when a worker reached age 65, he or she could retire and be paid back their own money plus whatever extra was available from invest- ment. Another part of the New Deal was a progres- sive income tax, which was the major program that financed these new agencies and brought us out of the Great Depression. I remember at the time that a number of movie stars and sports fig- ures complained along with other selfish high earners. The top tax rate after some millions were earned was 90 percent. Many benevolent organizations saw their donations from the wealthy rise as a result. They would rather give 100 percent to charity than 90 percent to the government! (It was deductible from the amount taxed.) The result of all of these programs was a lev- eling of the playing field where everybody had a chance to have a job that paid a decent living, under reasonable working conditions, not just the “robber barons” and their friends. When I graduated high school in 1944, one of my buddies and I went down to the draft board office and volunteered to enter the Army to pro- tect our country and preserve our way of life. When I returned from the war, I went to college on the GI Bill and went to work earning a decent living and enjoying the results of the New Deal. In 1967 or so, my parents retired and, with their home paid for, could live comfortably on Social Security. These were the golden years of our country. It wasn’t long after that Congress, in its infi- nite wisdom, began easing the restrictions on banks and savings and loan institutions. Since then, we have had a number of recessions prima- rily resulting from banks and loan institutions re- turning to activity in questionable investments and being bailed out by us taxpayers. Also, in 1968, Congress quit increasing the minimum wage as the original law required. (It should now, by original law, be $12 an hour, which would also stimulate our economy as it would all be spent immediately on living costs, and begin requiring more workers to handle the business.) In the 1980s, President Reagan talked Con- gress into “trickle down economics” re- ducing taxes for the rich which they would then invest to create jobs. (There has never been any evidence that any jobs were ever created by that means.) That tax reduction caused a short- age of revenue to make the budget, so Congress began taking the workers’ money from the Social Security Trust Fund, and have been doing so ever since, including 2013, to the tune of $2.6 trillion. They say it is borrowed, but there is never been any payback plan to this day. And now Congress is discussing re- ducing Social Security payments and Medicare payments to pay down our debt when both programs have paid their way since incep- tion and are not costing the government a dime! Reducing those payments would by like adding insult to injury. Not only taking our money — put by for safe keeping until retirement — to balance the budget but doing so in order to continue the tax reductions for the rich who are now paying only 35-38 percent at the highest level of income. That’s just like taking money from the poor and giving it to the rich. (Most, if not all, of the other rich countries have top rates between 50-70 percent.) Since the 90 percent rates got us out of the Great Depression, we could probably get us out of this Great Recession with 70 percent for tops. I know we are technically out of the recession, but it is now 5 1/2 years since this recession began and we are not near having created the jobs needed to reemploy millions of workers who lost their jobs when this all started and are still suf- fering. Nor have we increased revenue enough to begin paying back the Social Security Trust Fund on what Congress took and spent immorally, as well as meeting our annual budget and paying back some of our national debt. Speaking of which, The Economist made the suggestion that both countries in Europe with high debts and America should consider selling off some assets to pay down some of our debt and get some breathing room. I wonder if Con- gress has considered that option? Another option to consider, if Congress really cares about all of us citizens, clean up our elec- tion system by following the example of some rich countries that have a 60- or 90-day campaign period giving radio and television time free to each candidate in equal amounts, then allowing each to spend up to $10,000 on campaign give- aways like buttons, pencils, cards, etc. Citizens are limited, as are we, to how much they can give, political action committees are not allowed and corporations cannot donate. Last I knew, this was what France’s system is like. So, here we are today with one-third of us liv- ing in poverty, another one-third of us living in near poverty — together, giving us the highest poverty rate among the rich nations, with our minimum wage almost $5 an hour lower that the original law called for, with millions of our work- ers still unemployed 5 1/2 years after this reces- sion began, with some candidates and other politicians calling for reducing Social Security and Medicare payments, which are fully covered by what we have already paid in (and cost the government nothing), thereby recommending taking more money from the poor, the workers and the middle class to give to the rich by retain- ing their tax reductions made from the original law. This is no longer a country of the people, by the people and for the people! No, this is not the country I fought to pre- serve! Writer’s Block This Isn’t The Country I Fought To Preserve William KERR The Value Of RTEC Dr. Wayne Kindle, Superintendent, Yankton School District; and Dr. Jennifer Johnke, Princi- pal, Yankton High School Yankton School District and RTEC have had a great relationship that is a true benefit to our students. For many years, the students of Yank- ton High School have taken classes and been exposed to the areas of manufacturing through the efforts of RTEC. As a result, numerous stu- dents leave Yankton High School ready to enter the work force or pursue certification at a tech- nical school as a result. Currently, our students take classes for high school credit at RTEC which exposes them to Welding and Machining Processes. The RTEC fa- cility allows us to offer this opportunity to our students which we may otherwise not be able to facilitate. Additionally, our students have earned high school credit from the RTEC Manu- facturing Academy, a two-week program held during the summer. RTEC has also hosted an Automotives Academy which students from Yankton High School have attended. These courses and academies have better prepared our students for their future endeavors. RTEC is also a partner in the Governor's Grant which was recently awarded to Yankton High School. With the continued support of RTEC, Yankton High School will be able to offer dual credit courses in the areas of Computer- Aided Drafting, Machining Processes, and Weld- ing. This will further prepare our students to enter the workforce, a technical school, or a four-year institution. In addition, this partner- ship helps to fill high-need areas of the work- force for Yankton and the surrounding area. We are grateful to RTEC and the past sup- porters of RTEC for providing this facility to our students. The partnership with RTEC has been extremely beneficial to students and we are hopeful these opportunities will be available for many years to come. We ask you to please consider supporting the RTEC Capital Campaign! LINCOLN (Neb.) JOURNAL STAR (March 3): When the nation’s governors gathered in the U.S. capital, they tried to deliver a bi- partisan message that gridlock in Washington is impairing efforts to govern at the state level. Too bad their efforts to drive home that point were undercut by their own displays of partisanship. Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, chairman of the National Gover- nor’s Association, delivered the script. “While Washington remains mostly gridlocked — preventing long-term solutions — we are addressing challenges by reforming education, building infrastructure, improving health care and de- veloping energy resources. Governors do not have the luxury of standing still. Our hope is that our federal partners will do their part and take action,” said Fallin, a Republican. Chiming in was Gov. Steve Beshear of Kentucky, a Democrat. “The whole country’s frustrated with this place,” he said. Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, a Democrat who is vice chairman of the association, pointed out that “unlike what you see in Congress,” state officials “love to share and steal ideas from each other and see them improved.” A month previously when delivering the governors’ State of the States address, Hickenlooper pointed out that more than 26 per- cent of most state budgets come from the federal government. “The politics of fiscal responsibility can no longer be centered around crisis and deadlines,” Hickenlooper said. By the time the governors had disbanded, however, it was ap- parent that the same divisions that are hamstringing Washington are also interfering with cooperation among states. After a group of Democratic governors met with President Barack Obama, they tore into Republicans. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, said Republican governors “have been dis- tracted by a more radical social agenda that gives tax cuts to the wealthy (and) asks the middle class to pay for them while they cut education and the opportunities that allow us to grow jobs.” Shumlin tried to return to the script several days later in a bipar- tisan media briefing after governors met with Obama. “We gover- nors actually have to get things done. It’s not like Congress down here,” Shumlin said. That’s when Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana launched his now-fa- mous tirade against Obama. “The Obama economy is now the mini- mum wage economy,” Jindal said, drawing gasps that he had broken protocol. Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, a Democrat, claimed Jindal’s remark was “the most insane statement I’ve ever heard.” To Americans more removed from the scene, however, it seemed like the visiting governors had succumbed to whatever virus infects Washington. It’s unfortunate the governors couldn’t stay on point. It’s a message Washington needs to hear. The PRESS & DAKOTAN encourages its readers to write let- ters to the editor, and it asks that a few simple guidelines be followed. n Please limit letters to 300 words or less. Letters should deal with a single subject, be of general interest and state a specific point of view. Letters are edited with brevity, clarity and newspaper style in mind. n In the sense of fairness and professionalism, the PRESS & DAKOTAN will accept no letters attacking private individuals or busi- nesses. n Specific individuals or entities addressed in letters may be given the opportunity to read the letter prior to publication and be allowed to answer the letter in the same issue. n Only signed letters with writer’s full name, address and daytime phone number for verification will be accepted. Please mail to: Letters, 319 Walnut, Yankton, SD 57078, drop off at 319 Walnut in Yankton, fax to 665-1721 or email to [email protected]. OUR LETTER POLICY
Transcript of Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan, Yankton, SD - T D ’ O N | F...
THE PRESS DAKOTANTHE DAKOTAS’ OLDEST NEWSPAPER | FOUNDED 1861
Yankton Media, Inc., 319 Walnut St., Yankton, SD 57078
Thursday, 3.6.14ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net
VIEWS PAGE: [email protected] DAKOTANP A G E 4
views
OPINION | OTHER THOUGHTS
The D.C. VirusStrikes Again
Train up a child. Proverbs 22:6. Portals of Prayer, ConcordiaPublishing House, St. Louis
F RO M T H E B I B L E
By The Associated PressToday is Thursday, March 6, the
65th day of 2014. There are 300 daysleft in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History: OnMarch 6, 1836, the Alamo in San An-tonio, Texas, fell to Mexican forcesafter a 13-day siege.
On this date: In 1834, the city ofYork in Upper Canada was incorpo-rated as Toronto.
In 1853, Verdi’s opera “La Travi-ata” premiered in Venice, Italy.
In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Courtruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford thatScott, a slave, was not an Americancitizen and could not sue for his free-dom in federal court.
In 1912, Oreo sandwich cookieswere first introduced by the NationalBiscuit Co.
In 1933, a national bank holidaydeclared by President Franklin D.Roosevelt aimed at calming panickeddepositors went into effect. ChicagoMayor Anton Cermak, wounded in anattempt on Roosevelt’s life the previ-ous month, died at a Miami hospital atage 59.
In 1944, U.S. heavy bombersstaged the first full-scale Americanraid on Berlin during World War II.
In 1953, Georgy Malenkov wasnamed premier of the Soviet Union aday after the death of Josef Stalin.
In 1964, heavyweight boxingchampion Cassius Clay officiallychanged his name to Muhammad Ali.
In 1967, the daughter of JosefStalin, Svetlana Alliluyeva, appearedat the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi anddeclared her intention to defect to theWest.
In 1970, a bomb being built insidea Greenwich Village townhouse by theradical Weathermen accidentally wentoff, destroying the house and killingthree group members.
In 1983, in a case that drew muchnotoriety, a woman was gang-rapedatop a pool table in a tavern in NewBedford, Mass., called Big Dan’s; fourmen were later convicted of the at-tack.
In 1994, Greek actress-turned-politician Melina Mercouri, 73, died inNew York.
Ten years ago: President GeorgeW. Bush, playing host to MexicanPresident Vicente Fox at his Texasranch, backed off on plans to requirefrequent Mexican travelers to the U.S.to be fingerprinted and photographedbefore crossing the border, a reversalwelcomed by Fox. A water taxi cap-sized in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor,killing five people.
Five years ago: The governmentreported the jobless rate reached 8.1percent in February 2009. While ac-
knowledging an “astounding” numberof job losses, President BarackObama told critics of his $787 billioneconomic recovery plan in Columbus,Ohio, that it was saving jobs and said,“I know we did the right thing.” NASA’splanet-hunting spacecraft, Kepler,rocketed into space on a voyage totrack down other Earths in a farawaypatch of the Milky Way galaxy.
One year ago: Sen. Rand Paul,R-Ky., a critic of the Obama adminis-tration’s drone policy, launched an old-style filibuster to block Senateconfirmation of John Brennan’s nomi-nation to be CIA director; Paul lastednearly 13 hours before yielding thefloor. Syria’s accelerating humanitar-ian crisis hit a grim milestone as thenumber of U.N.-registered refugeestopped 1 million, half of them children.
Today’s Birthdays: Orchestraconductor Julius Rudel is 93. FormerFBI and CIA director William Websteris 90. Former Federal Reserve Chair-man Alan Greenspan is 88. AuthorGabriel Garcia Marquez is 87. Or-chestra conductor Lorin Maazel is 84.Former Soviet cosmonaut ValentinaTereshkova is 77. Former Sen.Christopher Bond, R-Mo., is 75. Ac-tress-writer Joanna Miles is 74. ActorBen Murphy is 72. Opera singer DameKiri Te Kanawa is 70. Singer Mary Wil-son (The Supremes) is 70. Rock mu-sician Hugh Grundy (The Zombies) is69. Rock singer-musician DavidGilmour (Pink Floyd) is 68. ActressAnna Maria Horsford is 67. Actor-di-rector Rob Reiner is 67. Singer KikiDee is 67. Broadcast journalist JohnStossel is 67. Composer-lyricistStephen Schwartz (“Godspell”) is 66.Rock singer-musician Phil Alvin (TheBlasters) is 61. Sports correspondentArmen Keteyian is 61. Actor TomArnold is 55. Former child actressSuzanne Crough is 51. Actor D.L.Hughley is 50. Country songwriterSkip Ewing is 50. Actor Shuler Hens-ley is 47. Actress Connie Britton is 47.Actress Moira Kelly is 46. Actress AmyPietz is 45. Rock musician Chris Brod-erick (Megadeth) is 44. NBA playerShaquille O’Neal is 42. Country singerTrent Willmon is 41. Country musicianShan Farmer (Ricochet) is 40. RapperBeanie Sigel is 40. Rapper BubbaSparxxx is 37. Rock musician ChrisTomson (Vampire Weekend) is 30.Actor Eli Marienthal is 28. ActorJimmy Galeota is 28. Rapper/pro-ducer Tyler, the Creator is 23. ActorDillon Freasier (Film: “There Will BeBlood”) is 18. Actress SavannahStehlin is 18.
Thought for Today: “Best be your-self, imperial, plain and true!” — Eliz-abeth Barrett Browning, English poet(1806-1861).
O N T H I S DAT E
MANAGERS Gary L. Wood
Publisher
Michele SchievelbeinAdvertising Director
Tonya SchildBusiness Manager
Michael HryckoCirculation Director
Tera SchmidtClassified Manager
Kelly HertzEditor
James D. CimburekSports Editor
Beth RyeNew Media Director
Kathy LarsonComposing Manager
Bernard MetivierDistrict Manager
Published Daily Monday-Saturday
Periodicals postagepaid at Yankton,South Dakota, underthe act of March 3,1979.
Weekly Dakotianestablished June 6,1861. Yankton DailyPress and Dakotianestablished April 26,1875.
Postmaster: Sendaddress changes toYankton Daily Press& Dakotan, 319 Wal-nut, Yankton, SD57078.
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YO U R L E T T E R S
BY WILLIAM KERRFor the Press & Dakotan
In August of 1932, I began the first grade in el-ementary school. That November, Franklin De-lano Roosevelt was elected president of theUnited States of America. As I progressedthrough elementary, junior high and highschools, the president and the Demo-cratic Congress elected with him devel-oped the New Deal agencies. Theyclosed the banks for 30 days until Con-gress could create reasonable regula-tions so the banks could not do manyof the things that caused them severefinancial problems bordering on bank-ruptcy and just do regular banking.Then they created a program to hirethe unemployed to repair and updateour infrastructure. In 14 months or so,they reduced unemployment from 25percent when he was elected to 11 per-cent, and it was not long after that itwas reduced to whatever was consid-ered normal at that time.
They continued by creating a Department ofLabor and a minimum wage that workers couldlive on. It was set up so that when the Office ofManagement and Budget’s annual computationof the cost of living rose the minimum wagewould rise the same percent. In the meantime,the labor unions were striking and making gainsin working conditions.
When I was in the 10th grade, the FederalHousing Authority had been formed and offeredto back mortgage loans at 10 percent down; myparents were able to raise $850 down with theirsavings, and borrowing a few hundred from rela-tives and bought a new three-bedroom home for$8,500. My mother soon went to work in a de-fense plant to make extra payments on the mort-gage. The defense plants were both building upour own military equipment and supplying sameto our allies. When the Japanese attacked PearlHarbor, my father quit his white collar job andwent to work in a former “defense” plant, whichwas now a war plant.
Sometime while all this was happening, Con-gress created the Social Security programwhereby some part of every worker’s wageswould be put into a trust fund and invested.Then, when a worker reached age 65, he or shecould retire and be paid back their own moneyplus whatever extra was available from invest-ment.
Another part of the New Deal was a progres-sive income tax, which was the major programthat financed these new agencies and brought usout of the Great Depression. I remember at thetime that a number of movie stars and sports fig-ures complained along with other selfish highearners. The top tax rate after some millionswere earned was 90 percent. Many benevolentorganizations saw their donations from thewealthy rise as a result. They would rather give100 percent to charity than 90 percent to thegovernment! (It was deductible from the amounttaxed.)
The result of all of these programs was a lev-eling of the playing field where everybody had achance to have a job that paid a decent living,under reasonable working conditions, not justthe “robber barons” and their friends.
When I graduated high school in 1944, one ofmy buddies and I went down to the draft boardoffice and volunteered to enter the Army to pro-tect our country and preserve our way of life.When I returned from the war, I went to collegeon the GI Bill and went to work earning a decentliving and enjoying the results of the New Deal.
In 1967 or so, my parents retired and, withtheir home paid for, could live comfortably onSocial Security. These were the golden years ofour country.
It wasn’t long after that Congress, in its infi-nite wisdom, began easing the restrictions onbanks and savings and loan institutions. Sincethen, we have had a number of recessions prima-rily resulting from banks and loan institutions re-turning to activity in questionable investments
and being bailed out by us taxpayers. Also, in1968, Congress quit increasing the minimumwage as the original law required. (It should now,by original law, be $12 an hour, which would alsostimulate our economy as it would all be spentimmediately on living costs, and begin requiringmore workers to handle the business.)
In the 1980s, President Reagan talked Con-gress into “trickle down economics” re-ducing taxes for the rich which theywould then invest to create jobs.(There has never been any evidencethat any jobs were ever created by thatmeans.)
That tax reduction caused a short-age of revenue to make the budget, soCongress began taking the workers’money from the Social Security TrustFund, and have been doing so eversince, including 2013, to the tune of$2.6 trillion. They say it is borrowed,but there is never been any paybackplan to this day.
And now Congress is discussing re-ducing Social Security payments and
Medicare payments to pay down our debt whenboth programs have paid their way since incep-tion and are not costing the government a dime!
Reducing those payments would by likeadding insult to injury. Not only taking ourmoney — put by for safe keeping until retirement— to balance the budget but doing so in order tocontinue the tax reductions for the rich who arenow paying only 35-38 percent at the highestlevel of income. That’s just like taking moneyfrom the poor and giving it to the rich. (Most, ifnot all, of the other rich countries have top ratesbetween 50-70 percent.)
Since the 90 percent rates got us out of theGreat Depression, we could probably get us outof this Great Recession with 70 percent for tops. Iknow we are technically out of the recession, butit is now 5 1/2 years since this recession beganand we are not near having created the jobsneeded to reemploy millions of workers who losttheir jobs when this all started and are still suf-fering. Nor have we increased revenue enough tobegin paying back the Social Security Trust Fundon what Congress took and spent immorally, aswell as meeting our annual budget and payingback some of our national debt.
Speaking of which, The Economist made thesuggestion that both countries in Europe withhigh debts and America should consider sellingoff some assets to pay down some of our debtand get some breathing room. I wonder if Con-gress has considered that option?
Another option to consider, if Congress reallycares about all of us citizens, clean up our elec-tion system by following the example of somerich countries that have a 60- or 90-day campaignperiod giving radio and television time free toeach candidate in equal amounts, then allowingeach to spend up to $10,000 on campaign give-aways like buttons, pencils, cards, etc. Citizensare limited, as are we, to how much they cangive, political action committees are not allowedand corporations cannot donate. Last I knew,this was what France’s system is like.
So, here we are today with one-third of us liv-ing in poverty, another one-third of us living innear poverty — together, giving us the highestpoverty rate among the rich nations, with ourminimum wage almost $5 an hour lower that theoriginal law called for, with millions of our work-ers still unemployed 5 1/2 years after this reces-sion began, with some candidates and otherpoliticians calling for reducing Social Securityand Medicare payments, which are fully coveredby what we have already paid in (and cost thegovernment nothing), thereby recommendingtaking more money from the poor, the workersand the middle class to give to the rich by retain-ing their tax reductions made from the originallaw.
This is no longer a country of the people, bythe people and for the people!
No, this is not the country I fought to pre-serve!
Writer’s Block
This Isn’t The CountryI Fought To Preserve
William
KERR
The Value Of RTECDr. Wayne Kindle, Superintendent, YanktonSchool District; and Dr. Jennifer Johnke, Princi-pal, Yankton High School
Yankton School District and RTEC have hada great relationship that is a true benefit to ourstudents. For many years, the students of Yank-ton High School have taken classes and beenexposed to the areas of manufacturing throughthe efforts of RTEC. As a result, numerous stu-dents leave Yankton High School ready to enterthe work force or pursue certification at a tech-nical school as a result.
Currently, our students take classes for highschool credit at RTEC which exposes them toWelding and Machining Processes. The RTEC fa-cility allows us to offer this opportunity to ourstudents which we may otherwise not be ableto facilitate. Additionally, our students haveearned high school credit from the RTEC Manu-facturing Academy, a two-week program heldduring the summer. RTEC has also hosted anAutomotives Academy which students from
Yankton High School have attended. Thesecourses and academies have better preparedour students for their future endeavors.
RTEC is also a partner in the Governor'sGrant which was recently awarded to YanktonHigh School. With the continued support ofRTEC, Yankton High School will be able to offerdual credit courses in the areas of Computer-Aided Drafting, Machining Processes, and Weld-ing.
This will further prepare our students toenter the workforce, a technical school, or afour-year institution. In addition, this partner-ship helps to fill high-need areas of the work-force for Yankton and the surrounding area.
We are grateful to RTEC and the past sup-porters of RTEC for providing this facility to ourstudents. The partnership with RTEC has beenextremely beneficial to students and we arehopeful these opportunities will be available formany years to come.
We ask you to please consider supportingthe RTEC Capital Campaign!
LINCOLN (Neb.) JOURNAL STAR (March 3): When the nation’sgovernors gathered in the U.S. capital, they tried to deliver a bi-partisan message that gridlock in Washington is impairing effortsto govern at the state level.
Too bad their efforts to drive home that point were undercutby their own displays of partisanship.
Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, chairman of the National Gover-nor’s Association, delivered the script.
“While Washington remains mostly gridlocked — preventinglong-term solutions — we are addressing challenges by reformingeducation, building infrastructure, improving health care and de-veloping energy resources. Governors do not have the luxury ofstanding still. Our hope is that our federal partners will do theirpart and take action,” said Fallin, a Republican.
Chiming in was Gov. Steve Beshear of Kentucky, a Democrat.“The whole country’s frustrated with this place,” he said.
Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado, a Democrat who is vicechairman of the association, pointed out that “unlike what you seein Congress,” state officials “love to share and steal ideas fromeach other and see them improved.”
A month previously when delivering the governors’ State of theStates address, Hickenlooper pointed out that more than 26 per-cent of most state budgets come from the federal government.“The politics of fiscal responsibility can no longer be centeredaround crisis and deadlines,” Hickenlooper said.
By the time the governors had disbanded, however, it was ap-parent that the same divisions that are hamstringing Washingtonare also interfering with cooperation among states.
After a group of Democratic governors met with PresidentBarack Obama, they tore into Republicans. Vermont Gov. PeterShumlin, a Democrat, said Republican governors “have been dis-tracted by a more radical social agenda that gives tax cuts to thewealthy (and) asks the middle class to pay for them while they cuteducation and the opportunities that allow us to grow jobs.”
Shumlin tried to return to the script several days later in a bipar-tisan media briefing after governors met with Obama. “We gover-nors actually have to get things done. It’s not like Congress downhere,” Shumlin said.
That’s when Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana launched his now-fa-mous tirade against Obama. “The Obama economy is now the mini-mum wage economy,” Jindal said, drawing gasps that he had brokenprotocol. Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, a Democrat, claimed Jindal’sremark was “the most insane statement I’ve ever heard.”
To Americans more removed from the scene, however, it seemedlike the visiting governors had succumbed to whatever virus infectsWashington. It’s unfortunate the governors couldn’t stay on point.It’s a message Washington needs to hear.
The PRESS & DAKOTAN encourages its readers to write let-ters to the editor, and it asks that a few simple guidelines be followed.
n Please limit letters to 300 words or less. Letters should deal witha single subject, be of general interest and state a specific point ofview. Letters are edited with brevity, clarity and newspaper style inmind.
n In the sense of fairness and professionalism, the PRESS &DAKOTAN will accept no letters attacking private individuals or busi-nesses.
n Specific individuals or entities addressed in letters may be giventhe opportunity to read the letter prior to publication and be allowed toanswer the letter in the same issue.
n Only signed letters with writer’s full name, address and daytimephone number for verification will be accepted. Please mail to: Letters,319 Walnut, Yankton, SD 57078, drop off at 319 Walnut in Yankton, faxto 665-1721 or email to [email protected].
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