Letters

From You!

About These Shopping Bags...

originally published March 29, 2006

Mr. Lamb, in this past week’s “Threats & Promises” [Mar. 22], you made mention of the fact that AthFest is the recipient of this month’s “Friend of Earth Fare.” We are very happy to be supporting the local music and arts scene in this way. However, it seems from your article as though you do not have all the information regarding the “Friends of Earth Fare” program that has been a mainstay at Earth Fare Athens since it opened in 1999.

Every month, we choose a non-profit organization to be our “Friend of Earth Fare.” One aspect of being the “Friend” is that throughout the month, for every recyclable bag our customers use, we donate 10 cents to the charity. This means recyclable plastic bags, canvas bags or bookbags, or even not using any sort of bag at all. In addition, the opportunity is there for our “Friend” to set up an information table or schedule an informational session that allows them to better get the word out about their organization. In warmer months, we hold benefit cookouts and dog washes for our “Friends,” therefore bringing in even more money to help these deserving charities, and raising even more awareness. In 2005, Earth Fare Athens raised over $6000 for our “Friends” using the bag recycle program, in addition to over $4000 for other events that we facilitated for the non-profit organizations. We also donate products and goods to our “Friends” whenever possible, for example Gift Baskets as doorprizes for a fundraising event, or fresh-baked cookie trays to help feed artists featured on the latest AthFest CD.

In the BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) segment, you also state, “Basically, whatever Earth Fare saves in bags will be passed along to AthFest.” This is not entirely correct. Our bag cost is actually less than $.02 per bag for plastic bags, and for paper it is around $.06. Clearly we are giving more than just the amount we save on bags. Billions of bags are used annually in the United States; the production and transportation of all of these bags takes up valuable resources. At Earth Fare, we are committed to selling products that are not only better for our customers, but products that are better for the environment. We are proud to have the “Friend of Earth Fare” program, because the re-use of bags fits in well with our philosophy.

If you do any volunteer work around Athens, I’m sure that you will find that either your organization or a partner organization has benefited from the “Friend of Earth Fare” program at some point in the past six and a half years. Please let me know if there is any additional information about the “Friend of Earth Fare” program that you would like, or if you would like to propose one of the charitable organizations you are a part of as a future “Friend of Earth Fare.”

Thanks very much for bringing more awareness to this program, and we hope to see you reusing your bags at Earth Fare, Mr. Lamb!

Susanna Aikin Community Coordinator, Earth Fare

Susanna Aikin

Community Coordinator, Earth Fare

Letters

From You!

Socialism? No Thanks.

originally published March 29, 2006

I was very entertained reading Mr. Cuevas’ well-intended yet naive article on the benefits of socialism in the Mar. 8 issue [Comment: A Call to Reason for Socialism]. Mr. Cuevas seemed very convinced that if we let the government run all of our most basic and important industries, then prices would automatically plummet and goods and services would be available to all. Mr. Cuevas contends that with big business out of the picture, the lowly politicians would no longer be the middle men. If prices were too high we would just fire them (the politicians) as it is their job to serve our needs (not big business). That a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina has reduced pipeline functionality is beside the point. Once those nasty profit-seeking companies that have invested billions of their stockholders’ money in such infrastructure are out of the way, all we would have to do is hope that a bureaucrat that talks for a living can somehow make it all better.

I also have to ask the following question: If for-profit business cannot provide a really well-made car that is affordable to the working-class poor, then how will the government be able to do so? I suppose the profit part is inconsequential to the government as they are the ones who print the money or, more importantly, raise taxes to cover budgetary shortfalls. But then I did notice that Mr. Cuevas said we can afford “to have fewer people in poverty and fewer people in sprawling estates.”

At what point do the working public decide to stop working harder because their pay-off has been given to those without? As the tax burden becomes greater the more a person is capable of wealth generation through work and thought, why would anyone decide to keep working at any rate other than simple subsistence? The returns in Mr. Cuevas’ world, for competence and hard work, diminish exponentially. The motivation for greater investment in a system that hails the

least competent and able as the most important simply is not there. The system crumbles. If you think I’m wrong, please reference the Cold War Soviet Union and its ultimate demise and lack of ability to provide for its own masses.

Profit, Mr. Cuevas, is not a dirty word. It is the reason that we have so many things that make all of our lives better. Without it I would shudder to imagine the state of affairs in almost any modern necessity from transportation to energy to food production and medical advances. If you want to donate more of your own money to all the people that earn less than you, I think you have every right to. What I do not believe you have the right to do, sir, is to tell me what I should be compelled to do - for that is what you advocate when you tout socialism - you are giving the government the right to point a gun at my head to force me to provide welfare to anyone they decide deserves it. I, for one, especially in light of today’s bloated and corrupt federal bureaucracy, think that our government needs to be a little less empowered in the arena of trampling our individual right to life and the pursuit of it through the fruit of our labor and minds.

Good luck, Mr. Cuevas - I see the lights in your future society eventually beginning to dim as fewer people of ability agree to be saddled for the good of the mob.

Dave Cappi Email

Dave Cappi

Email

Letters

From You!

Forests For Sale

originally published March 29, 2006

President Bush has proposed to dispose of more than 300,000 acres of National Forest lands under the outrageous guise of raising money for rural school aid. If Bush is willing to auction off public land, why should he stop there? He could sell advertising space on the Washington Monument, or you could get your head added to Mt. Rushmore for the right price. Those paintings in the National Gallery are worth something….

Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth has identified the loss of open space as one of the four principle threats to the health of National Forests. Ironically, on the same official web page where the “Four Threats” are discussed is the announcement of Bush’s planned sell-off. If loss of open space is a primary threat, how is selling off land to developers going to help? National Forests are an irreplaceable treasure. The lands targeted for sale will be exempt from environmental review and questioning transactions will be prohibited. If Bush proposes costly programs, maybe he should consider other ways to raise revenue rather than selling off our natural heritage. This give-away to developers is something everyone should oppose whether you are a hunter, animal rights activist, Democrat, Republican, hiker, or ORV rider. It’s a refreshing opportunity for divided Americans to unite and defeat a very bad idea and a worse precedent. The public comment period ends Mar. 30, but let your opposition be recorded regardless of the date. Send letters to your representatives and comments to the Forest Service at: SRS_Land_Sales@fs.fed.us.

Joseph O’Brien Athens

Joseph O’Brien

Athens