Pay employees a living wage

To the editor:

The Solon City Council seems more worried about a few business people than they are about living off the poverty of some of their friends and neighbors.

A large part of our economy is the consumer. So what is a consumer but a person with a well-paying job with excess funds to spend? Yet some people would cut jobs and wages in our economy.

All government subsidies to individuals except the disabled are really business subsidies. If businesses paid a living wage there would be no need for food stamps, Medicaid, etc. The same can be said for imports. When a country runs a trade deficit they are creating their own unemployment.

The government should place a tariff on imports to adjust for wage or currency differences between countries. That would eliminate the need for the subsidy paid out to individuals due to job loss. If some people don't like tariffs then the importing corporations should be taxed directly for the individuals' subsidies. The consumer pays the true cost whether in a price or in taxes, but this saves a lot of grief to individuals and the need for government programs.

The state allows corporations to operate for the common good. Part of the common good would surely be to pay a living wage to employees.

Dean E. Owens

Palo