The opportunity is here

To the editor:

Recently, it was announced that Kim Jung Il died of a heart attack on a train in North Korea. While I’m sure this news reverberates around the globe because one of the world’s most repressive autocrats is now dead, it has additional meaning to me on a personal level.

Many know about my involvement in the construction of a memorial to the historic 65th Infantry Regiment in Osceola County. This regiment was credited with the last documented battalion-sized bayonet charge in service to the United States. That bayonet charge took place on the Korean Peninsula Feb. 2, 1951. It was in this unit that my grandfather earned his combat infantryman badge. Several decades later, my brother and an officer in the United States Army, also served in Korea along the infamous DMZ.

Today, I reflect on the sacrifice, not only my family has made in the defense of the Korean people and for regional stability, but on the countless, immeasurable sacrifices hundreds of thousands have made over the years on the Korean Peninsula. Wives, husbands, sons and daughters have sacrificed the presence of their service-members through unaccompanied tours along the most heavily militarized border in the world and tens of thousands gave their lives along the 38th parallel in the short conflict that took place there. Those that sacrificed did not receive glory, or much praise. They did not come home to a hero’s welcome or much fanfare at all. They served in a thankless war.

On this day, during this time of transition, I call on all Americans to thank the veterans and families of veterans who fought in Korea, not just those in the 65th Infantry, but in all regiments and all battalions.

I also call on the leaders of North Korea to take this opportunity to seek peace and assume responsibility for the welfare of their people – to extend to them the rights all men were born with. And finally, to bring an end to this war, technically ongoing, and to sign a peace treaty, normalize relations with the rest of the world and to become part of the global community and future.

The opportunity is here and the time is long overdue.

Julius Melendez

Kissimmee

Help for working families

To the editor:

While working families struggle to make ends meet in this sluggish economy, there is a bright spot on the horizon for Florida’s lowest-paid workers: On Jan. 1, the state’s minimum wage will increase 36 cents to $7.67, raising wages for more than 380,000 low-wage workers.

The modest bump in pay is the result of a 2004 ballot measure supported by voters to raise the minimum wage and adjust it upward each year to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

As a result, Floridians who do the hard work of cleaning and securing office buildings, providing day care and serving food will not fall further behind as prices for food, gas and utilities continue to rise. The increase not only helps hard-working Floridians provide for their families, but also boosts the overall economy. When Franklin Roosevelt first established the federal minimum wage during the Great Depression in 1938, he emphasized that a strong wage floor is “an essential part of economic recovery.” The same is true today.

When low-wage workers have more money in their pockets, they have little choice but to spend it immediately on basic necessities like groceries, clothing and school supplies. And as demand for goods and services grows, businesses expand and hire; the increased spending resulting from the minimum-wage bumps in Florida and seven other states on Jan. 1 will lead to an additional $366 million in economic output and create the equivalent of more than 3,000 jobs, according to an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute. That’s a shot in the arm our economy desperately needs.

The minimum-wage increase is especially important when so many better-paying jobs in sectors like construction, manufacturing and finance have disappeared, and many families are left supporting themselves with lower-paid service-sector jobs. An analysis by the National Employment Law Project finds that while the majority of jobs lost during and after the recession were in mid-wage occupations, roughly three-quarters of the jobs added since job growth resumed are in low-wage occupations.

And things aren’t going to improve any time soon: The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that seven of the 10 occupations with the most job growth between 2008 and 2018 will be low-paying positions. While we know our economy will have an increasing number of positions in home health care, food preparation and customer service, these jobs don’t have to pay poverty wages. At one time, the manufacturing jobs that we now yearn for were dangerous, low-wage and undesirable. But we turned them into good jobs, with safer work places, higher pay and a voice for workers.

Florida and seven other states have taken a step in the right direction by indexing the minimum wage to keep up with inflation. But while more than 1.4 million workers will see their wages increase Jan. 1, millions more must depend on the stagnant federal minimum wage of just $7.25, or $15,000 a year for full-time work. The American people know this isn’t right: A national poll conducted in November found that more than two-thirds of Americans support raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour. It’s a deeply popular idea that can help boost the economy while not adding to state or federal budget deficits.

It’s time for politicians in Washington, D.C., to take a cue from the people of Florida and raise and index the minimum wage.

Christine L. Owens

Executive director,

National Employment Law Project

Thanks to Mr. Iaquinto

To the editor,

I would like to say, “Thank you,” to Frank Iaquinto, of St Cloud, for his views and information about the Osceola County School Board.

I think he summed up almost every citizen’s opinion of the circus act that calls itself the Osceola County School Board. His information about the salaries and percentages of contributions toward retirement was a real eye-opener.

Most importantly, the School Board should be ashamed of its conduct over the past months and I, for one, hope the members would be embarrassed by the truthfulness and honesty of Mr. Iaquinto’s public scolding.

In his last sentence, there is found a bit of advice that shows wisdom and insight into this problem. He wrote, “TO DO YOUR JOB FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.” That happens to be the solution. I put it in caps in case the fat-headed egotistical board members failed to get the message.

Jerry Mobley

St. Cloud