Daily Sitka Sentinel

December 12, 2013 Letters to the Editor

GMO-Free Events
Dear Editor: Our family officially launches our transcontinental run on Jan. 18 from Huntington Beach, Calif. David and I (Brett) will run while Kris and Olivia crew for the runners. We’re running for a GMO-free USA. GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. We’ve got four run-related activities planned for this weekend:
    1. Fund Run. Join us on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Moller field anytime between 9 a.m.-3 p.m. David and I plan to run some 100 laps. Join us for a lap or two! Kris and Olivia will serve non-GMO snacks, share info, and offer good cheer to all soggy runners. Donations are welcome.
    2. Info booth at the Elvis Grind. If Elvis were alive (we’re not saying he’s not), this is what he’d say about GMOs: “T-R-O-U-B-L-E, Double Trouble, Hurt, A Mess of Blues, Don’t, I Feel So Bad, I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry, Don’t Be Cruel, All Shook Up, Devil In Disguise, and Return To Sender.” Like Elvis, we all believe “It’s a Wonderful World.” See you at the Grind.
    3. Library Presentation. Sunday, Dec. 15, at 5 p.m. I will read from my book, ‘‘We’re Monsanto: Feeding the World, Lie After Lie.’’ Discussion will follow. We extend a special invitation to any and all people who take issue with our run and mission. Come and share your concerns. Books will be available upon donation.
    4. Online fundraising campaign. If we don’t see you this weekend, we welcome your contribution online. Go to Indiegogo.com and search for “GMO Free USA” in the search box. Then click on and be amazed by our promo video produced by Owen Kindig. Thank you, Owen! Our campaign is off to a strong start. Your contribution will make it even stronger. Our success is your success because we’re Running For a GMO-Free USA. Call Kris for further information: 752-0447.
Brett Wilcox, Sitka

Minimum Wage
Dear Editor: While an increase in the minimum wage is better than nothing, Sitkans for a Living Wage are not organizing for $9.75. That is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. But it is pitiful as a wage that will enable a person or a family to meet its cost of living without public assistance. Sitkans for a Living Wage are seeking $17.50 an hour.
    We currently are conducting a letter drive to the deputy mayor and are organizing a petition drive to place a living wage or $17.50 an hour on the ballot in the next election. We will submit the petition as soon as it is vetted by organizations assisting us. This will be a borough wage, not a state wage. Thank you.
    Letter to Deputy Mayor Matthew Hunter  follows.

Dear Deputy Mayor Matthew Hunter: I’m writing to ask you to sponsor a statue in the City and Borough of Sitka that sets a minimum wage at a live-able level. With a living wage a worker’s household can cover its own living expenses without public assistance. I know that two Assembly members are needed to sponsor a new statute. I ask you to urge one or more additional Assembly members to co-sponsor a living wage.
    I support Sitkans for a Living Wage. I think they are on the right track when they state that a living wage will not only be good for workers, but will be good for business and for the economy. I know that $17.50 an hour is not far from living wages set by other cities, where living expenses are lower. For example, a municipality in Seattle recently set a minimum wage of $15 per hour.
    I know that Sitkans for a Living Wage is organizing a petition drive for a living wage. Part of my reason for writing to you is to avoid making people who are suffering from low wages wait for the lengthy petition process. Hopefully, my letter will show you that that there is wide support in Sitka for the establishment of a living wage.
    John Welsh, Coordinator of
Sitkans for a Living Wage