Who benefits from economy?
Nothing should make the Aspen labor force happier than employers not finding enough help. At last, a market for labor. Sick and tired of working jobs with such low wages you need two or more jobs to make ends meet? Now’s your chance to hit the boss up for a nice raise or it’s down the street. Feel the love! Show me the money!
The trouble with articles in the paper that get all the violin playing from Aspen employers is it is all one sided. Open a business in Aspen and you are entitled to great workers at cheap wages. They say: town council, get on the stick. Get that subsidized housing built. Not that we are suggesting any kind of socialism. It is more than just a bed somewhere, every new working person in Aspen requires a host of services, most of which are paid by tax dollars. One of the beauties of capitalism is shucking off all the externalities onto the general public. Many of the biggest companies don’t even pay taxes. Some get rebates and subsidies.
All this is considered friendly to business. According to some, local councils are usually anti-business. They can never do enough.
Our president and his supporters talk continuously about the great economy they have produced. They don’t talk about the 40% of Americans that can’t put their hands on $400. They don’t talk about the massive amount of wealth funneled up to the upper 1%.
In an economics class I took at CMC, the first night the professor asked us about the word “economy.” What does that mean? We are all in it; the question is who benefits? Do we work to bolster the economy, or is the economy just there to produce life, liberty and happiness for us; does it work for us?
Well, it’s Thanksgiving; be thankful if you have a good paying job and can make ends meet.
Patrick Hunter
Carbondale
Governor’s actions don’t match his words
Gov. Jared Polis made a big show of visiting Grand Junction last weekend, and so did the Sentinel in an article on Sunday. While we should all be grateful for Polis’ efforts to hear from voters, it’s concerning how much his administration is doing to throttle transparency in state government. The Denver Post discovered last month that multiple state agencies were attempting to delete employee emails that were just 30 to 60 days old, denying the public an essential tool to see what our representatives in government are doing and saying. It is unfortunate that Gov. Polis refused to step in and prevent this records purge. In doing so, he revealed the emptiness of his gestures toward transparency. These emails are essential for the press and the residents of Colorado to see what our government is doing and ensure that our public officials are held accountable.
Attending meetings and answering questions in public is all well and good, but the Governor’s actions don’t match his words. And that’s a trend across his administration — from healthcare, to energy issues, Gov. Polis comes to our city, listens to us, and then ignores our feedback and does what he was always going to do. Transparency and accountability aren’t optional, and we deserve a Governor who understands this and who’s actions match his words.
Angela Wetzel,
Grand Junction
