Do We Owe People Living?

HELLO FOLKS — I think we will all agree that we live in a pretty topsy-turvy world. At least it seems that way at times.

Take the case of employment. I think we will all agree that we as a nation owe everyone the opportunity to make a living. I think we also will agree that it is destructive of everything good to hand out a living to anyone and everyone just because he or she doesn't have quite as full a stomach as the rest of us. And while some of us have more work than we can readily do there are many who want to work and can't find jobs.

We have plenty of work to do. Things that need to be done and aren't being done. Take the case of the Albert Lea lake. It is a pity that it has not been cleaned up, or is not being cleaned up. I believe there are people on relief rolls who can work for what they get, who could be given jobs now and create an atmosphere for future employment growth in the future, such as the tourist trade.

Certainly the welfare officials are to be complimented for their conscientious work in giving such people the opportunity to be self-sustaining. But the job is much bigger than for one organization to do alone. It takes the cooperation of all.

What we need is a reserve of funds to use when such a project is needed and a list of jobs that need to be done whenever there is anyone in need of a job.

There are of course many contributing factors that lead to unemployment. We can price ourselves out of jobs, such as has been done in the auto and other industries. Sometimes it is the need of capital.

Whatever the cause we need to get to the root of it and create a better world, one that gives all the chance, plus the impetus, to become respectable self-sustaining citizens.

Speaking again of this topsy-turvy world, we are putting out millions of dollars to retire land and bolster prices. Then we spend millions (or I should say billions) more to feed people on relief. Many of these people on relief could be given land to put in a garden and the supervision to do it right so they in turn could almost feed themselves. And in this garden spot of the U.S. there is much food going to waste that could be gleaned to feed practically all the needy.

In biblical days the farmers were commanded to leave the edges and corners of the fields that the needy could glean for themselves. Thus all the citizens could be self sustaining, except of course the indigent.

A closer attention to such a program would make better citizens out of many who need the aid.

We go astray in this free world of ours but we gradually seeem to find the way back sooner or later and I think we will someday consider it a major error to dole food and clothing and just as great an error to not have plenty of projects to take care of all the unemployed and the where with all to do it.

Boiling it down to simple terms we owe everyone the right to earn an honest living, but we owe no able bodied man the living itself.

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Easy but glamorous: serve vanilla ice cream with green creme de menthe, chocolate ice cream with white creme de menthe.