Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Opinion: Raising the Minimum Wage

The following opinion piece was recently submitted to area newspapers by former Jackson County resident Lawrence Bay:

The minimum wage is being raised to $15.00 an hour in many areas and there are efforts to raise it nationwide. But why raise it to only $15.00? Why not $100.00? Why not $1,000,000 per hour?

When I started work in 1960 my dream was to make $2.50 per hour, the minimum wage was $1.00 per hour. However in 1960 you could buy a decent house for less than $15,000, a new car for less than $2,000 or mail letters for four cents and post cards for one cent. A carton of cigarettes was $1.80 and you would not believe how low food and gasoline were. Night clubs were cheap: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. plus two drinks totaled $5.00. Are real salaries higher now?

In Turkey in 2000 everyone was a millionaire! But a million Turkish Lire was worth 67 cents American. Of course you could buy very little with a million Lire. Turkey, and other countries, saw the folly of this and reformed their currencies. Does the United States wish to become another Weimar Republic?

Raising the minimum wage, and the resultant inflation, would wipe out the assets of anyone with savings accounts or government bonds and destroy anyone on a fixed income while moving workers into higher tax brackets. It would do nothing to raise the standard of living for low wage workers.

What counts is not the salary but its purchasing power. Control inflation. Raising the minimum wage solves nothing!

Lawrence Bay

Port Byron

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Jackson County Vietnam Wall Committee Announces Date For Moving Wall Event



It was announced by the Jackson County Moving Wall Committee that a contract has been signed by the organization and that the Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial will visit Maquoketa, Iowa
from June 23, 2011 to June 27, 2011. The Moving Vietnam Wall Memorial will be on display at the Jackson County Fairgrounds - West Campus in Maquoketa.

“We are honored that The Moving Wall will visit Jackson County and appreciate the efforts of the Committee members in bringing this very special experience to Maquoketa,” said Ronald Horan Jr., Committee President. “The memorial helps to bring healing to veterans, families and friends of those who died or are missing in Vietnam, especially those who may not have the opportunity to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.”


“It is a great honor to be chosen to host the Moving Wall,” said Jean Davidsaver, Secretary - Treasurer of The Moving Wall Committee. “It is our intent to present the Wall in such a way as to preserve the solemn nature of the memorial while providing an opportunity for our young people to learn more about this important part of our history and the great sacrifices made by our armed forces to preserve our freedoms.”

"The Moving Wall" is the half-size replica of the Washington, DC Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has been touring the country for more than twenty years. When John Devitt, “The Moving Wall“ creator, attended the 1982 dedication in Washington, he felt the positive power of "The Wall." He vowed to share that experience with those who did not have the opportunity to go to Washington. Vietnam veteran volunteers built “The Moving Wall” and it went on display for the first time in Tyler, Texas in October of 1984.

The Jackson County Moving Wall Committee was formed by Baldwin AmVets Post 64, the Jackson County Republican Central Committee, Bellevue American Legion Post 273 & the Jackson County Historical Society to bring this special exhibit to Jackson County. The Committee is still looking for groups, businesses and individuals to join the Committee, help defray the cost of the event and volunteer to assist with event activities. Those interested may contact Ronald Horan Jr. at 563-652-4998 or Jean Davidsaver at 563-872-3705. 

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Jackson County Republicans Candidate Forum and Dinner

Featured speakers at the Jackson GOP Candidate Forum on May 6th will be 1st District Congressional candidates Will Johnson, Mike LaCoste and Ben Lange, plus State Senate candidate Andrew Naeve and County Supervisor candidate Jack Willey. The Thursday evening event will start with a buffet dinner from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Clinton Engines Museum Program Center, 605 E. Maple St., in Maquoketa. The Candidate Forum begins at 7 p.m., followed by a question and answer period.

Johnson grew up in Dubuque, where he attended Senior High School and Loras College. In 2001 he joined the Navy, attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA, and served as a CTI (Hebrew linguist) until 2005. He enrolled at Loras College in 2006 and majored in International Studies. In early 2008 he traveled to China, where he studied written and spoken Chinese for more than a year.

He is an avid Tae Kwon Do practitioner and instructor, and is also a musician.

LaCoste was raised on a northeast Iowa farm and worked at John Deere in Waterloo for 36 years before retiring from his job as a Quality Inspector. He attended the University of Northern Iowa and Hawkeye Community College in Cedar Falls, as well as several John Deere educational programs. He has coached in the Waterloo area for 13 years.

He and his wife, Peggy, have been married for 33 years and have two grown sons, Sean and Shane.

Lange grew up in Quasqueton, the son of a meat plant worker. He earned his B.A. in political science from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX and earned his law degree from Hamline University Law School in St. Paul, MN. While attending Hamline, he was a policy advisor to U.S. Congressman John Kline, a Minnesota conservative.

He and his wife, Kelly, have two toddler daughters—Addison and Emelia. He owns a small business in Independence.

Naeve, 25, is a sixth generation family farmer and business owner from the Andover area. He graduated from East Central High School in 2003, where he now serves as an elected school board member and as Varsity Boys Basketball Coach. He graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY in 2007 with a degree in farm business management and finance.

Naeve is engaged to Kristin Conway; they will be married in August.

Supervisor Jack Willey of Maquoketa has been a Jackson County Supervisor for 20 years. Willey is a member of several boards and committees, including the State Committee on Mental Health, the County Case Management Advisory Board, and the Empowerment Board.

He and his wife, Marilyn, own Jack and Associates in downtown Maquoketa. They have three children and nine grandchildren.

Tickets are available at the door for the event—cost is $10 for adults, with family members under 18 admitted free (admission to museum is separate).