The Michigan Daily
Edited and managed by Students at the
University of Michigan
Tuesday, August 2, 1977
News Phone: 764-0552
Double standard for pay
makes jobs, takes jobs
IN AN APPARENTLY .HUMANITARIAN effort to pro-
vide access to more jobs for teenagers,' Congress is
entertaining the idea of creating a "subminimum" wage
for young workers. Without taking much time to think
about it, clearly a double-standard in pay would have
drastic drawbacks which would far outweigh any possi-
ble benefits of such a system.
The lower wage could act as an incentive for em-
ployers to hire younger workers for cheap labor, but
at the expense of other workers earning the' full $2.30
an hour.
Granted, teenage unemployment rates are far high-
er than the national average, with black workers lead-
ing the percentage points at 39.4 unemployed. That fig-
ure is nearly twice as high as that of teenagers as a
whole.
Congress, in attempting to curb teenage unemploy-
ment by lowering the price tag of their labors, could
turn around and do the same forother high unemploy-
ment groups. Should the minimum wage for women and
blacks also be lowered so employers might be encouraged
to give jobs to such groups?
SUCH A PRACTICE could only supplant the more high-
ly paid workers with less inexperienced, cheaper labor,
not solving the problem of one group's high unemploy-
mentprates, but transferring that problem to another
groups of laborers.
According to labor leaders, the displacement would
most drastically affect the next group up the age lad-
der -- the 20 to 24-year-olds. Such a group, just begin-
ning to forward financial independence, stands more
to lose than their replacements could gain.
The creation of jobs tailored to teenage labor, rath-
er than the creation of a wage double standard, seems
a more practical solution. Such jobs as grounds laborers,
for instance, could do more than just give teenagers
some source of employment: they could save the jobs
of innumerable others currently working for the mini-
mum wage.
AND THE FIRST FEW LANDINGS
WERE TERRIBLE! BUT AFTER
A WHILE, IT WASN'T SO BAD!
'No-frills flights'-soon
for cheapskates only
By DICK WEST
WASHINGTON (UPI) - The
age of cutrate, no frills air.
travel has dawned with Presi-
dent Carter's approval of a
British proposal to slash fares
between New York and London
whiledoing away with free
food, beverages and certain
other traditional services.
Now two U.S. carriers say
they will match the British
bare bones bargain and Carter
Letters to The Daily
gay voce
To The Daily:
I am a homosexual. I hope
this will be printed and read,
even though I cannot sign my
name.
Hundreds of thousands of us
cannot now sign our names to
homosexual statements; teach-
ers, bankers, doctors, lawyers,
farmers, carpenters, plumbers,
electricians, singers, artists,
military persons, nurses, etc.,
who are gay (homosexual). The
list of vocations goes on, as does
the number of gay people in our
society, but in most cases, we
must not sign our names. We
must remain anonymous to save
our jobs, embarrassment and
harassment.
Why? Because of people like
Anita Bryant, Save Our Chil-
dren, Inc., and the Bad News
Bible Quoters. Anyone who
knows the Bible, knows that you
can pick out parts in it to read
whatever you want it to read.
Why doesn't anyone ever quote
parts like, "Love one another
as I have loved you," or "Let
he who is without sin cast the
first stone." Let's become Good
News Bible quoters.
I am a good Christian who
believes in, and loves, God, my
Creator. My God loves, under-
stands, and, if wrong is done,
forgives.
Some of these anti-gay groups
say God condemns me as a
sinner. If this is so, why then
did He make me as I am? God
is good and loving, but these
anti-gay groups make Him a
very mean and cruel God.
Gay people do not wake up
one morning and decide to be
gay. We are born, not made this
way, As a child I was never ap-
proached once by an adult ho-
mosexual, until I went out and
sought an affair when I was
19 or 20 years old. I had gay
teachers in school that were
good teachers, but their homo-
sexuality was unknown. I only
discovered some of them now
in my adult life (40 years old).
As an adult. homosexual, I do
not care to have an affair with
a child, as is the case with 98
per cent of us. This is also
true with the adult heterosexual,
although 95 per cent of the child
molesters are heterosexual.
Being gay is not an easy life,
and it is a lonely life, No one
whould choose it, if the choice
were his to make. Can Miss
Bryant, or any of her follow-
ers say their children are homo-
sexual? I hope they are not, be-
cause a child always needs a
parent's love. The Anita Bryant
people would have to stop lov-
ing their gay children.
I did not reveal my homo-
sexuality to my parents until
I was 35 years old. They, like
myself, don't really understand
it, but they accept it and keep
loving me as they always have.
Parents and God are some
of the few things in life that
the homosexual can embrace,
that will return love. Anita, you
can't take God from us, too. He
is not yours alone, wake up,
and wise up!
I pray that the hate and anger
that Anita and her followers are
building up can be repaired and
forgiven. Are they aware that
the Nazis not only exterminated
Jews, but also hundreds of thou-
sands of homosexuals. Where
does that put those self-appoint-
ed, self-righteous people? "Fa-
ther, Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do."
-an Ann Arbor homosexual
Letters should be typed
and limited to 400 word
The Daily reserves the
right to edit letters for
length and grammar.
has expressed hope that aus- is not heated, blankets, parkas
tere, low cost air service also and hot water bottles are
will become. available within available in the compartment
the United States. under your seat.
WHERE WILL IT all end? "TO OPEN THE compartment,
Soon, perhaps, you will board ' deposit $1.25 in coins in the slot
a plane and the friendly voice on the door.
over the intercom will say: "During the flight, you may
"Good morning, cheapskates, find that you will rest more
and welcome aboard Spartan comfortable with your seat
Airways Flight 634 to London. tilted back. The seats on this
"We'll be taking off shortly, aircraft are adjustable and
but first a few brief instruc- may be moved to any angle you
tions to acquaint you with the desire by depositing 25 cents in
safety features and other facili- the coin slot on the right arm
ties on this aircraft. rest.
"MOST OF YOU may have "Also on hoard for your
noticed the coin slot on the left enjoyment are recent issues of
side of your seat. It is for the Chain Store Age, Chemical
convenience of passengers who Marketing Digest, Packer &
wish to avoid being thrown out Drovers Journal and other
of their seats during takeoffs popular periodicals.
and landings.
"To fasten your seat belt, "MAGAZINE RENTAL is only
deposit 50 cents in the-coin slot $1 per copy. You will find the
and the buckle will lock coin-operated rack in the rear
automatically. of the plane next to the pay
"To unfasten the belt, deposit toilet.
another 50 cents. "One more thing before we
"SINCE THE CABIN of this taxi down the ramp for takeoff.
aircraft is not pressurized, While your captain will do all
some of you may have trouble he can to make the flight as
breathing once we get above smooth as possible, some cases
30,000 feet. of airsickness may devolop.
"Should you wish to obtain "Should you become nausea-
extra oxygen you may do so by ted, deposit $2 in the coin slot
depositing $3.50 in coins in the on the back of the seat in front
slot overhead. An oxygen mask of you. Then open the flap and
will then automatically drop extract a barf bag.
down for your convenience. "Thank you, and we hope you
"At the higher altitudes, you have a pleasant flight. This has
also may start turning blue been a recorded announce-
from cold. Although the cabin ment."
TODAY'S STAFF
NEWS: M. Eileen Daley, Stu.
Keith Richburg
EDITORIAL: Linda Wilicox
PHOTO: Chris Schneider
SPORTS: Scott Lewis
ARTS: David Keeps
McConnelJ, en Parsigion,