I find it regrettable that a matter that should be of great concern to everyone is labeled as socialist propaganda, as Wendy Applequist did in her letter of Sept. 11.

I can assure her that nothing more subversive than New Testament theology has influenced my views.

Our country’s strength has always depended upon a broad middle class, and this class is being devastated. It is not wealth per se that is of concern, indeed I would recommend it for everyone.

Wealth often equates to power, however, and it is this power that we should be fearful of. An increasing concentration wreaks havoc on democracy and is indeed more symptomatic of Third World nations.

Applequist’s unwillingness to acknowledge that wealth is usually, in addition to one’s efforts also the result of and dependent upon the efforts and incomes of others, is disturbing.

Her, and it seems the widespread, rejection of the notion that this interdependency should imply responsibility, shows a blind materialism. It is certainly incompatible with many religious beliefs and is harmful to our nation.

Two-thirds of America’s workers receive less income (inflation adjusted) than they did 20 years ago. The 1990 U.S. Census showed 50 percent of our work force making $15,000 a year or less, an amount that would not cover the most basic of living expenses for many.

While their employees’ wages remained largely stagnant, during the 1980s, the average U.S. chief executive officer’s salary increased from 40 times that of their average worker’s to 93 times (a phenomenon decried in the Wall Street Journal). In Japan the ratio is 15 to 1. The increases had little to do with productivity and everything to do with greed.

We should be concerned that so many high school graduates today will never be able to afford his or her own home.

We should be concerned that with the loss of the great American dream goes much of the stability and security so important to family life. Also gone is the sense of belonging and investment in our society.

Where are the opportunities for the vast majority of the poor as Applequist states? There are such a limited number of decent paying jobs available that employers can expect over 100 applicants for every available position, as the Des Moines Postal Service has found. There are certainly good jobs in some rather specialized areas, but for many these are not realistic.

In the book The Bell Curve, its racist undertones aside, the authors convincingly show how success correlates to I.Q.

We are not all created equal. Many are performing as well as we can reasonably expect. We should all be committed to seeing that those who perform the services we depend upon are able to afford a decent life. Our national response to this thesis was no increase in the federal minimum wage from 1981 to 1989.

Thousands of individuals, aside from students, earn minimum wage in Story County. A parent earning this wage will gross $806 per month and likely net near $600.

A single parent will find that the average rent and utilities for an apartment in Ames will often consume the entire paycheck.

This is the poverty that destroys family life, and sometimes leads to homelessness.

Far from easy street, the total welfare grant for a single mom with one child in Iowa is $361. Even with the addition of food stamps and medical coverage, this is not a survival income.

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Vic Moss is a junior and director of the Ames Emergency Residence Project.