Of possible interest - would be useful to see what other letters Newsweek
received about the column in question. Sally
>Date: Thu, 4 Sep 1997 14:59:43 -0700 (PDT)
>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Precedence: bulk
>From: Michael Eisenscher <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: Labor Research and Action Project <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Samuelson's Hope-through-Fear for Europe
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>X-To: (Recipient list suppressed)
>X-Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>Dear NEWSWEEK Editors:
>
>I am still unable to restrain my disgust with Robert Samuelson's column of
>August 25th, in which he offers what he terms "hope" for Europe's economy.
> Samuelson, from his ivory tower, spews a sick and twisted vision of a
>so-called "virtuous circle" wherein unions are broken and social services
>destroyed, so that workers become more terrified by the loss of their jobs
>and safety net ("...anxiety, uncertainty and fear are essential"), so that
>corporate profits batten on human misery. The resultant stock market boom
>sustains a "prosperity" featuring lower unemployment of the alchemical sort;
>i.e., if I used to have a factory job ($17/hr plus full benefits), and now my
>spouse and I must work 1½ jobs each at $6/hr and no benefits, there is a net
>creation of two jobs!
>
>This is Newspeak which George Orwell would easily recognize: terror=hope,
>viciousness=virtue, misery=prosperity, McJobs=occupations. If this is what
>the Anglo-Saxons offer Europe and the world, by St. Brigid I'm glad to be a
>Celt!
>
>Michael J. Lowrey
>1847 N. 2d Str.
>Milwaukee, WI 53212-3760
>414-227-4860 or 372-9745
>
>member and steward, AFSCME; member, National Writers Union; member,
>Industrial Workers of the World
>
