A Service of The Arrow           Friday February 4, 2000 11:34 AM

Jobs to the People

ARROW STAFF

Like alchemists attempting to create gold, local politicians and government officials think that they have found the next best way to encourage economic growth: public incentives. The city, county, and state have decided it is worth 3.1 million of your dollars to attract Stream International to Kalispell.

Planning board officials, the mayor, and city council members can now begin to pat themselves on the back and proudly claim that they have created 500 jobs in the Flathead Valley. But, like most forms of government intervention in the economy, this proposal should draw skepticism.

In truth, the deal will do much more to create job announcements than actual jobs. The only thing worse than the notion that government spending can create jobs is the fact that the media report it and we take it seriously. We seem to be under the mistaken impression that government spending is the only kind of spending that can employ people.

Consider this scenario. If the city, county, and state let you keep your money, what would you do with it? Would you bury it? Burn it? Would you do everything in your power to keep it from creating jobs? Of course not. The fact of the matter is, in order to “create” the 500 jobs that Stream has promised, 3.1 million dollars will have to be taken from the local economy. That's 3.1 million dollars that will no longer be paying the salaries of employees at local shops, restaurants, and other local businesses. How many jobs will that cost us?

The only effective way for any government to increase employment and attract business is to keep tax rates low and minimize government intrusion in the marketplace. Rather than showering private companies with “incentives,” local, county, and state governments should give that money back to the taxpayers. I'm sure we'll find some better ways to create jobs with it.

junior Andrew Bissell

A sad day for all of us

At the moment, I am thoroughly disgusted and appalled by all of FHS. Earlier this month (January 17), cities around the nation celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Many businesses, and more importantly, schools around the country closed to celebrate the holiday. Those schools that did not close, still actively observed the holiday, nonetheless. And why shouldn't they? In most parts of the country, freedom and diversity are important! However, here in a place where a black person, or a Jew, or a Muslim is about as common as a big gnome, the attitude seems to be more like:“Well, we're already all white, so we supersede intellectual liberty, or the need for tolerance...Let's just hope nothing changes!”

The youth and the adults of this area alike share this same ignorant, immature attitude. Such harsh statements may sound unfair, but we see proof everyday: Passive Christian and white supremacy in English. Blatant eurocentricism in History. Absolute intolerance of new ideas by all teachers.

The list goes on. These atrocities coupled with the fact that students of FHS have lost all care of patriotism and the importance of their constitutional rights (which I attribute, partially, to the students being forced to spit out the Pledge of Allegiance every Monday) is what, I think, drives the caste system in FHS, the astronomical dropout rate, and the general miserable time many students must suffer.

Schools today are where hatred is bred more than any other place. Schools should be a cradle of American values, and justice. But rather, more and more, schools are a haven for violence and the drug trade...Must we allow our quiet racism force us to ruin our world?

junior Clayton Myett

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