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2 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Woman says she found snake head in can of Western Family green beans ... Searchers scour Grants Pass area for missing man ... RCC to seek $20 million from taxpayers ... Woman says she found snake head in can of Western Family green beans ... Searchers scour Grants Pass area for missing man ... RCC to seek $20 million from taxpayers ... LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor, Feb. 17 Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Feb. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Feb. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News The TPP conspiracy With many people compiling abundance of evidence, the claims of "9/11 truthers" and "chemtrail" conspiracies do not finally add up to verity. Over the years I have ignored terms like "Bilderberg," "Trilateral Commission" and "New World Order." "Technocracy" died in the '30s. Now, I am beginning to notice. I wondered what could motivate Sen. Ron Wyden to support the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), giving international business sovereignty over the people he was supposed to represent. Yes, it is a conspiracy to ditch the U.S. Constitution and put us under control of an international cabal of arrogant intellectuals and industrialists, and government primarily by bureaucrats, not our elective choices. Covert Technocracy! A key phrase is "sustainable development." We all want that, but you can put that label on a train and send it to sink in desert sand. It matters who lays the track. My friends cheer when the president issues an order that agrees with our agenda. What will they do when a future president gives contrary orders? When they have already ditched the Constitution, they have no defense. Using doublespeak terms "technetronic" and "green economy," Technocracy has taken us far beyond halfway to a "Brave New World." Ira Edwards Medford No learning curve The stock market is in the tank and the Middle East is about to blow up and the U.S. is about to elect a new president. A president who needs to have no learning curve, who needs to have thought out programs and policies possible to enact, and who can take practical moderate positions on issues. Voters need to take this into consideration when voting. Frank Hieber Phoenix Raise the wage America, land of opportunity? But the inequity that exists in our working classes makes it less so every year. The Waltons (Walmart fortune) don’t care if the workers who generate their wealth live without the basic necessities, but you and I do. Here’s how this difference in values plays out to the Waltons’ benefit. Much of their $149 billion net worth and their billions in annual income comes from their majority share of Walmart stock. And Walmart pays most of its 1.4 million employees less than a living wage. A living wage is one that allows families to meet their basic needs without public assistance. So how do Walmart workers survive? They depend on food stamps, Medicaid and other safety-net programs that our taxes fund. In 2014, Forbes magazine reported that the cost to Americans because of Walmart’s low wages was $6.2 billion! While the worst case, Walmart is far from the only employer paying below a living wage. The Alliance for a Just Society calculates a living wage in Oregon is $15.96 per hour for a single adult and much more for families. We must raise our $9.25 minimum wage to one much closer to a living wage, now. Celine Buczek Ashland It's the Pitts Mr. Pitts is the messenger. Shooting the messenger doesn't make the problem go away. Jay Therien Phoenix MailTribune.com Writer Posted Feb. 17, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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