Minimum wage is an insult to us all
Did you see us? On May 1, over 200 of us lined both sides of Prince Avenue by Piedmont Hospital in Athens during rush hour, raising our signs, chanting, and singing in support of workers everywhere on International Workers Day.
You may have missed us, but many of our fellow Athenians did not. They streamed by for nearly two hours, honking and waving in support.
What did we accomplish? Certainly, we signaled our support for better pay and better working conditions for over 164 million of our fellow Americans. In the richest country in the world, the Republicans refuse to raise the federal minimum wage above the staggeringly low $7.25, also maintained by Georgia — that’s $14,500 a year, 25% below Georgia’s single-person poverty line. This is an insult to us all.
The enthusiasm of the passing drivers was even exceeded by those of us along the street.
Protests and rallies, needed now more than ever to bring serious attention to increasing injustice and deteriorating real-world conditions, need not be deadly serious in their execution. For two hours, we were an enthusiastic, lively crowd. We ranged in age from teenagers to nonagenarians. Together, we demonstrated the power of community.
There will be many more rallies and protests, with more chances for everyone to participate. Protests are serious, but they are an opportunity to show we are an engaged citizenry, ready to stake our claim on our future while having fun doing it. Join us, and you will find community and fulfillment.
RICK BURT, ATHENS
CO-LEADER, INDIVISIBLEGA10
Trump’s a one-man wrecking ball
America is a democracy. As such, Americans would never tolerate one-man rule, let alone elect anyone expressing a desire to be a dictator. That is, until now.
Donald Trump was predisposed to being a one-man wrecking ball in the federal government. Seemingly, no department or individual is spared Trump’s wrath. It is revenge, retaliation and intimidation, not to mention cruelty, that drives his agenda of destruction.
He acknowledges no constraints, be that social norms, Congress, or the judiciary. He runs roughshod over regulations and laws, daring anyone to enforce those measures. It is a one-man rule.
His desire to decimate government is seen in his appointments of breathtakingly incompetents. Health and Human Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is determined to set American health back by decades. Of course, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is a huge security risk to the U.S.
America needs to wake up -- and fast. Four years of Trump’s tyranny will be very difficult to reverse. The MAGA cult, including Congressmen, has to be completely rebuked.
JIM GRATTAN, GAINESVILLE
The Latest
Featured
