If I'm reading GUEST right, it would appear that he/she is under the impression that working for minimum wage is a matter of choice. "Oh, gee, I can work here for minimum wage, or I can go to work over there and make $25.00 and hour with health insurance and a pension plan. But I like cleaning toilets, so I think I'll just stay here." Well, it doesn't work that way. The majority of people don't have a choice. It's either work for minimum wage or don't work at all.

And a lot of conservatives I run into seem to be under that same impression. To me, that indicates that they are not in touch with the real world. Any more than George W. Bush and his minions are.

And as far as education is concerned, when I first entered the University of Washington in fall of 1949, quarterly tuition was $53.00, or $159.00 for the school year. Now, yearly tuition at the U. of W. is going up to $5988.00. And that's minuscule compared to Ivy League universities. These days, s little learning is an expensive thing. But not having a college education can be even more expensive. So you're screwed either way you go.

In some countries, university education is free. . . .

Don Firth