To the editor:

One of these days our government will be releasing billions of dollars to the states as part of a stimulus package to get the economy moving again. But certainly it won’t be enough for all the needs, let alone all our wants.

So in spite of these billions, many people will still be out of work. So what’s to be done to help as many people as possible?

Much of the money will go to cities and counties to rebuild the infrastructure: roads, bridges, and such like. Most of the work will be done by union employees, who historically have been given good wages based in part on the strength of their unions. I’m thinking of steelworkers, teamsters, longshoremen and electricians, among others.

Rather than limit the amount of work that can be accomplished, or limiting the number of people who will be put back to work, I believe that these severe economic times require drastic measures. Government authorities should renegotiate the contracts with the labor force to reduce compensation by perhaps 10 percent and so distribute the available dollars more equitably.

What do you think?

GEOFF HORNSBY

Freeland