Letter: Decreasing wages not beneficial

To assure good times for some folks and not necessarily for all, Iowa Republican politicians are intent on rolling back local ordinances that increase a minimum wage over $7.25 an hour, and that's aplenty.

Aplenty as in the antebellum South were masters on the ole plantation could not live comfortably high on the hog in their mansions if they could not own some people as slaves and keep others down and in their place as 'white trash.” Apparently Iowa Republicans believe that in these times money-changer capitalists will not be able to hoard a lion's share of the state's and nation's wealth unless there are working poor folks doing all the dirty work, heavy lifting and attending to detail that keeps everything going for so little.

True, everyone is in business to secure for themselves and dependent loved ones food, clothing, shelter and enough rest and leisure to keep going and to find it worthwhile to do so, but some folks are apparently more worthily in business for themselves than are other folks.

The more worthy are the risk takers who must be legally protected against the possibility of failure because they are, ah, the risk takers? Hum, are these Iowa legislators who are bent on keeping the important folks comfortably in their business of the same party as candidate Abe Lincoln who while running to be first Republican president said, 'A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.”

Sam Osborne

West Branch