Letters to the Editor 26 October 2005 One has to wonder whether Mr. Petrowich is taking his cue from the Kelly Bostian media management handbook. Recall the outcry just three years ago when the managing editor of the News-Miner dumped Dan O'Neill and others from the editorial page. A large protest in front of the paper's office followed, as did a spate of cancelled subscriptions. Mr. Bostian's response? He hunkered down, alternately ignored and belittled his critics, and just waited out the hullabaloo. Sound familiar? Mr. Petrowich, no dummy he, might very well win this round using the same tactics (it looks like a replay so far). And why shouldn't he? It worked swimmingly for Mr. Bostian who emerged from his controversy virtually unscathed and with his chosen newspaper format intact. Of course the losers in that case were every other human being in the Interior who today wrestle with the most vapid newspaper imaginable. Are we witnessing the same downward slide of our public radio station? I certainly hope not. Sincerely,
11/8/05 Suppose we had another 9.2 quake...oh, let's say, ten years from now. Can you imagine the response we'd get from Louisiana if we asked them for some help? Joni Miller Febwary, 31st, 2014 From: Governor of the Republic of Walmart, Louisiana Branch/Nworlinz: Marty Graugh Reel sorry to hear bout that shake y’all just had...9.2 on the Richer scale ! Hooo, wee, thass a biggun! Now Ah rilize y’all could use sum hep rat about now on fixin up and rebuildin Ankrich and all. But we got all our dough tahed up in beeldin us a new Justin Wilson -“the Cajun Coook” Jambalay Parkway on over to Baton Rouge. Sure we got 9 other roads going on over thair but this’un named for somebody special. We still remember way back in 2005 when we was in sad shape afta dat herikane katreena thang, and yo’ daddy, Ted “the Tantrum” Stevens, was on the Sinnit floor jest a hollert up a storm bout how his bridge money was his and he wudn’t sharing nun of it wit no body. Lord, he was a panic. How old is he now?? So, why da hell y’all livin away up dare inna cold, on toppin dat erfquake fault ennahow? Dint ch’all learn nuffin back in 1964 bout dat ? Sheeeyit, y’alls sum dumass folks! We can send y’all up suma dem new Boiselle’ cd’s.... that’ll make things a bit betta fo y’all. AAAAAYYYYYY-EEEEEE! Bedduh luck gittin sum moneh from the feds...or from Home Despot. Guluck... y’alls gonna need it.
November 13, 2005 Is Wal-Mart cheap? The answer is NO. It’s true that items sold at Wal-Mart cost less to individual customers. But those low retail costs are inevitably accompanied by high auxiliary costs to taxpayers. This is only logical: retail operations have certain costs. When those costs are cut, someone must take up the slack. In Wal-Mart’s case, they cut costs, taxpayers compensate. Here’s how it works: Extremely low wages. The average pay for a Wal-Mart employee is below the poverty line for a family of three. Taxpayer burden: subsidized housing. Inadequate healthcare benefits. Only forty-seven percent of Wal-Mart employees receive healthcare benefits, way below the national average of sixty-eight percent. In Georgia, 10,000 children of Wal-Mart employees cost taxpayers $10 million a year in subsidized healthcare. Taxpayer burden: state healthcare programs. Inadequate surveillance. Wal-Mart II is slated to be 220,000 ft2 in floor space and open twenty-four hours. How can they monitor a store that huge without hiring fleets of security officers? Simple: they alert city police. Taxpayer burden: increased crime rate, increased law enforcement costs. Questionable labor practices. Wherever they go, Wal-Mart attracts lawsuits. According to Wal-Mart, the company was sued 4,851 times last year. Taxpayer burden: increased legal and court costs. Despite appearances, Wal-Mart will take far more money out of Fairbanks than it will supply. Communities across the U.S. have realized this and passed emergency ordinances to keep Wal-Mart out. It’s too late to keep Wal-Mart I out of Fairbanks, but now’s our chance to stop Wal-Mart II. It’s got to stop somewhere. Amanda Kolker
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