January 4, 2005

Enders couldn't be more wrong

Tidings Letters Editor: What could be more "wrong" than John Enders' assumption that appropriate jobs are available for everybody regardless of status? To quote his letter: "The vast majority of so-called 'homeless' in Ashland are young people who choose not to work."

Homelessness and joblessness are endemic in our capitalist society. Prevalence is up in these grim Bush years. All of us, including those without jobs or shelter, pay taxes, not to aid workers for whom private employers have no demand, but to fund in ghastly billions the criminal war against Iraq, inefficient extravaganzas of expense such as carried out in the name of homeland security, state attacks against the real welfare of the people, etc. We debate giving a modicum of help to the socially stranded while acquiescing in government policies that increase insecurity - physically, socially, financially, familially - whatever dimension might come to mind - even religiously .

Are those young people to be blamed, John, because they would rather juggle footsackies in Lithia Park than work for a non-living wage or under whatever conditions and demands employers might dictate or go to Iraq as soldiers or civilian employees of Halliburton or other employers of that ilk, however fabulous the pay?

Joblessness and homelessness are interacting segments

of a national political/economic/social problem not attributable to a different type of human being who does not want to work, who does not aspire to develop his or her capacities and talents; but to laws and governmental policies that encourage accumulation of wealth by those already wealthy and minimize efforts to meet basic needs of the poor and disadvantaged.

Here in Ashland we could do our bit to promote social sanity in the nation by encouraging John Enders' "so-called" homeless to set up a livable camp, and through the city helping out administratively and financially. Nor should we consider the homeless as wards or needing an omnipresent city presence for supervisory purposes. There is ample capacity and capability in that population itself to make the thing work. That deftness of footwork with the footsackies we note in Lithia Park is emblematic of the overall potentiality of those temporarily footloose people.

Hal Jamison
Ashland

Ashland holidays are exceptional

This holiday, may there be a skip to your step, family at your door and friends on the phone.

It is 7 a.m. the day after enjoying an enchanting Thanksgiving dinner at the Winchester Inn. The sun is rising just above the night snow and, from my room at Bard's Best Western, I can see the tip of Mount Ashland. It's beginning to look a lot like the Festival of Light celebration.

Show me a winter wonderland where thousands line the streets, where parade watchers range in age, color, and political inclination, where holiday decorated floats share the stage with vintage cars, the Adopt-a-Dog Foundation and the Salvation Army, where it is the town's annual tradition, and I'll show the heart of the American people.

For most, there is a place that reminds us of a time when things seemed simpler. Where a friendly gesture, a smile from a stranger, a home visit from a clergy, a story of kindness, all were everyday occasions. For me and mine, the place is Ashland and the time is Christmas.

Rich Wynkoop
Ashland

On the subject of campaign money

On Christmas Eve I received an unwelcome present from the Tidings in the form of a front page story claiming that in my campaign for city council I had exceeded the voluntary spending cap of $2,980, spending almost $10,000. Neither is true.

I wholeheartedly support the concept of a voluntary spending cap. From the beginning, my clearly stated intention was to stay within it and run a grass-roots campaign with volunteers and small contributors. I succeeded, with nearly 100 people contributing. The final, cumulative total of all the funds I raised was $2,941.72, of which $2,928.95 was spent for campaign expenses

I emphasize the word "spending" because I loaned my campaign $1,000 as start-up money and later when contributions accumulated, repaid the loan. The State, however, requires that it be listed as a contribution and the repayment as expenditure. It should be obvious, though, that, if the $1,000 didn't stay in my campaign funds, I certainly couldn't have spent it on my election, reporting semantics not withstanding.

It would have been nice if the reporter had attempted to contact me as she did some of the other candidates before impugning me on the front page. But then the story might not have been quite as "good," and I guess that's more important than the truth.

Jack Hardesty
Ashland