Two sides of the coin

Thanks for the refreshing Op-Ed article by Peter Dumon. That a business owner would endorse a living-wage ordinance is astounding. Rather than resist attempts by workers to gain fair compensation for their services, Dumon considers the living wage an investment that will pay dividends by maintaining morale, with resulting higher productivity and increased customer satisfaction.

Kudos to this farsighted hotel owner, who obviously believes in treating employees with dignity and respect. We need thousands more Peter Dumons.

Robert C. Lutes

Temple City

Despite Dumon's best intentions, the so-called living wage is a ruse. Some jobs will always pay less than others because that is what they are worth in a free-market economy.

Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of economics knows these feel-good wage hikes raise the cost of goods and services for everyone, including the living-wage worker, and produce a ripple effect through the economy that erodes purchasing power.

Who really wins besides the tax collector?

Richard Deight

Orange

Safe and homegrown

Re "Attack of the killer tomatoes," Opinion, June 11

You say industrially grown tomato, I say salmonella. Tomato, salmonella, spinach, E. coli: Is it time to call the whole salad bar off?

Well, not quite, but the latest cases of tainted produce give further evidence that we must simplify the complex food chain connecting field to fork. Tim Rutten's column correctly points out that the more links there are in the chain, the greater the chances that disease and adulteration can find their way into it.

I was encouraged, if not amused, to read that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had given home-grown tomatoes the all-clear in its recent tomato warning. With gas and food prices hitting historic highs, it is time that our government made even stronger statements about the healthfulness and desirability of home-produced foods in society.

As a home-grower, I know of no better flavor-enhancer than peace of mind.

Roger Doiron

Scarborough, Maine

The writer is the director of Kitchen Gardeners International.

Aid that helps

Re "Feed to lead," editorial, June 9