Letters to the editor

poverty. I totally and wholeheartedly disagree.

The rich and the large international corporations buy it daily. By insisting that they “buy” below cost, it forces the builder, the grower, the small family farmer to give up his products at less than what it takes to build, grow, design and support his enterprise, his family, his life. Thus, he is “bought” into poverty. His livelihood, the family farm that may have been in his family for generations, is reduced to weeds.

In Italy, the soft drink companies insist on paying only seven Euros for the oranges it costs 10 Euros to grow and harvest. The fruit rots on the trees. Migrant workers have no income and no jobs.

In Mexico, the country that gave the world corn, people are “encouraged” to buy seed corn from our large industrial farming complexes subsidized by our government rather than grow it from native stock that they have grown for centuries. They can’t compete with our industrialized farming network.

The fact is, they are being forced off their land by high seed prices and GMOS that do not replicate year to year. Having to sell at or below American corn prices, they just quit farming. It’s not profitable. Tortillas are now a luxury item rather than a staple.

“Poverty” can be purchased. It is purchased every time a government takes from the working class to give to the rich, the leisure and ease of “earning” without labor.

Judy Ladd Hot Springs student loans, no credit check, and they even make international student loans, too.”

Does this sound too good to be true? It is said the rising education debt makes the housing bubble look benign. Consider morning in America is Times Square on Jan. 1. The detritus of the night before is curb to curb. During the night, these party animals stole away, leaving the United States with the hangover. Forget the infrastructure, teachers, police and firemen again. After all, Harvard is too big to fail. So grab a broom and start sweeping. Stand by for “bailout” No. 2. Gene Forsyth

Hot Springs