Employers disregard many potential workers Re: “Lawmakers ignore heart of immigration problem,” From Readers, May 16
Michael Majcen suggested that labor supply and demand drive immigration. We already have an oversupply of labor. As far as demand: what kind of category do you have to fit to be considered by an employer for a job?
We have wide categories of unemployed and underemployed by ethnicity (Native Americans), location (Appalachians), and other (disability). I have lived with a disability my entire life and picked up two more, and I know from experience that a bad attitude is the only disability that cannot be overcome.
Christopher Marsh
Alexandria
Examiner distorts facts about federal spending
Re: “How adults can discuss the federal budget and debt limit,” Editorial, May 2
If you must carp at President Obama, how about at least keeping the facts straight?
Your May 2 editorial did nothing to enhance your credibility or reputation, particularly: “Under Obama, spending has exploded as never before in American history, while the annual deficit has been in excess of $1 trillion every year he has been in office. The national debt has ballooned to $14.3 trillion and the government will reach its debt ceiling some time this month.”
Aren’t you forgetting that when George Bush became president, he inherited a $230 billion budget surplus from Bill Clinton? That during Bush’s tenure, he started two senseless wars that depleted our Treasury and caused the death and wounding of thousands of our young people? And that when Bush left office, he turned over a $455 billion budget deficit to Barack Obama?
Under President Bush, the national debt grew from the surplus he inherited to $8.2 trillion in 2006. I suggest you get off Obama’s case and stick to honest reporting.
John Baer
Annandale
Ethanol subsidies don’t make any sense
The Democratic Party’s approach to reducing our dependency on foreign oil is to create artificial shortages of domestic oil and gas through legislation in order to raise the price of gasoline to the point where “renewables” become profitable.
Wind and solar have significant, ongoing maintenance costs, but once projects overcome high installation costs, these energy sources will ultimately be positive and sustainable. Corn-ethanol, on the other hand, wastes more energy than it generates, not to mention its devastating impact on family farms, food supplies, water quality, public health, etc.
Why do we give tax incentives to low-octane corn ethanol over more efficient natural gas? Because Monsanto and the corn-ethanol lobby have taken control of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Judy West
San Francisco, Calif.
