Today marks the return of the "Unclassified" column in
a new venue. Since 1978, it has appeared regularly (more
or less) in "The Daily Times." Contrary to rumors, yours
truly is still gainfully employed at the DT but the
column is kaput.
But old habits -- good and bad -- are often difficult
to break. Thus, another outlet was sought for my humble
attempts at communicating. The folks here at The Shore
Journal have graciously provided it.
More importantly, this arrangement has been OK'd by
Gary Grossman, executive editor of "The Daily Times."
The "Journal," as delightful as I have found it to be
(especially the writings of Kelley Rouse) since
discovering Internet, is not a "Daily Times''
competitor.
The ground rules remain the same: The opinions
expressed are solely my own and not indicative of
those of my employer, "The Daily Times," Paparella
or ICNet, our friendly local service provider for
Internet services.
Having said all that, let's get down to action.
Writer Jo Campbell did a fine job of lambasting 1st
District Congressman Wayne Gilchrest for his concerns
about increasing the federally mandated minimum wage.
(Working-Poor Economics in this issue.)
While Gilchrest's predecessor Roy Dyson, and his
opponent this year, Steven Eastaugh, both Democrats,
might support this political ploy in a presidential
election year, there is a larger issue here.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize
a cup of coffee (and most everything else) probably
cost less in Boise, Idaho, than it does in New York
City or California. While the federal government
may be (?) empowered to dictate there must be a
threshold minimum wage, determining the exact amount
should be left to the states. If the U.S. Supreme
Court's "community standards" yardstick for defining
pornography and obscenity is valid -- and I believe
it is -- then it surely makes good sense to localize
the minimum wage issue.
Also this week, Kelley Rouse's "New Warp" contains some amusing takes
on the disappearance of William Colby, the former director
of the Central Intelligence Agency (an oxymoron if
there every was one). The comparison to former labor
leader Jimmy Hoffa was a nice touch.
I'm looking forward to one of those supermarket
tabloids revealing how a Montana Freemen escaped
from a compound surrounded by several thousand
representatives of the federal government and the
news media to menace Colby.
Talk about your tough jobs, how would you like
to be the tourism director for Montana?
May 5, 1996 John BozmanAll Rights Reserved