‘Terrorist Puppet’

Re: “Terrorist Puppet,” David Gelernter, Opinion, July 19, 2005. David Gelernter discusses “terrorism” in 1948 by Jews who were in the Irgun and Stern Gang.

There is no comparison.

Today’s terrorists feel it is desirable to kill innocent women and children in schools, on buses, bus stations, restaurants, and shopping centers. These terrorists have no regard for human life, and the more people they kill, the better. Also, their field of battle is global.

The underground fighters of the Irgun were of another sort. They specifically targeted their missions and aimed for the least human toll. When they exploded a bomb in the King David Hotel, they warned the British officers and requested that they evacuate the hotel beforehand. That is equally true of Deir Yassin, where the men were warned to leave their homes. In both these situations, the warnings were ignored. There was never any attempt to kill civilians. Their fight was primarily with the British army, which was occupying Palestine, and defensive against the Arabs.

Although Mr. Gelernter tries to draw an analogous picture of the “unofficial Jewish army” of pre-1948, it would be best described as just that, or perhaps “underground,” but never terrorist. The usage of that word today conjures horrific images.

BEVERLY FETTMAN
Bronx

Prevailing Wage

Re: “Let the Market Prevail,” John Stossel, Opinion, August 11, 2005. Being in the (electrical) construction industry, I greatly appreciated John Stossel’s column on the Prevailing Wage issue. Allow me, please, to add a few complementary points to his article:

The PW requirement not only shuts the door on entry-level workers on government-funded projects, it also tends to effectively shut out non-union contractors such as our company. This is because their workers are already getting paid the union/PW scale and benefits and are in place to do the work. It ends up being too much of a hassle for non-union contractors to compete.

This leads me to my second point. My experience has led me to avoid PW jobs (even if I wanted to deal with it) because it causes jealousy in the shop between those workers I assign to PW projects and those that don’t. I’m not even talking about the onerous paperwork one has to fill out on PW jobs. I’ve turned down a few projects recently from some of my good customers the minute I heard that they are PW Jobs. These jobs represent workers I never hired, as Mr. Stossel already stated.

The PW requirement also adds tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money to government-funded projects. This is my tax money being wasted for some socialist minded law (the Davis-Bacon law). Let’s call it what it is – government-mandated socialism and not the free capitalistic society we ostensibly live in.

Finally, with respect to the claim that union workers care more about quality, this does not even warrant a response it’s so insulting. While it is true that there are unscrupulous contractors in every trade, the majority of contractors, union or non-union, are conscientious people who put the safety of their customers above the bottom line. I would venture to say that the majority of the work done in the outer boroughs is of the non-union variety by good, quality conscious contractors.

HENRY GELB
Brooklyn

John Stossel points out in his piece on the Davis-Bacon Act that it’s bad news for workers whenever the government meddles in the labor market. In “FDR’s Folly,” historian Jim Powell spends most of his time recounting all the new labor laws enacted during the New Deal. That Roosevelt’s many interventions failed badly can be demonstrated by the average 16.3% unemployment rate during his second term, 1937 through 1940. In other words, the road to the unemployment office is paved with well-intended labor laws.

CHRIS WIGERT
Manhattan

‘Splinter GOP’

Re: “Pirro’s Stance on Social Issues May Splinter GOP in Race Against Clinton,” Brian McGuire, New York, August 10, 2005. Brian McGuire states, “A primary fight among Messrs. Cox and Spencer and Mrs. Pirro would be a boost to Mrs. Clinton.”

The way I see it, any fight between Republican candidates in New York is a good thing for Republicans and bad for Democrats. It is great that New Yorkers will see and hear Republican activity in this Blue State just as in New Jersey.

I hope Ken Mehlman and Karl Rove don’t let this opportunity slip through our hands.

MOISHE PERL
Brooklyn

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