Letters: American Workers, and the Fords

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MICHELE NORRIS, host:

Every Thursday we read from your e-mails. And over the past week we've gotten a lot of mail about our profile of the small town of Galena, Illinois, and its immigrant workforce.

In the past decade, business owners there had become increasingly dependent on Mexican workers. This was restaurant owner Larry Blakenbaker's(ph) description of one of his American employees who lasted only two weeks on the job.

(Soundbite of previous NPR broadcast)

Mr. LARRY BLAKENBAKER (Restaurant Owner, Galena, Illinois): All of a sudden working the night shift, which is what he hired on for, was becoming difficult for him because he really wanted to be leaving by at least 9:30 and our kitchen stays open till 11:00 sometimes and all this. And so then he'd have reasons why he had to leave early, and pretty soon he found a job elsewhere that was going to work out better to him. But that's, again, pretty typical.

NORRIS: Well, listener Joel Bauden(ph) of New York City took issue with a suggestion that Native-born Americans won't do restaurant work. He writes: I worked in restaurants and I'm proud to say that. I was a student at the time, and it paid my rent and it fed me three meals a day, two of your biggest expenses. It was a smart thing to do.

But Pia Moreto(ph) of Orem, Utah, suggested higher wages would solve the problem. She writes: Of course, employers who don't want to pay living wages are going to have a hard time getting employees. A person's dedication to their job is largely based on how much they make. Pay people a decent wage and they will be dedicated - $12-$13 an hour isn't that much anymore.

We also heard from many of you about former President Gerald Ford. He died the day after Christmas and was buried yesterday. Charles Stitser(ph) of Richmond, Virginia, wasn't alone in his sentiments. He writes: Gerald Ford was a good man and a dedicated public servant. However, I think they referring to his pardoning of Richard Nixon as healing the country is simply revisionist history. I do not recall feeling healed when Nixon's pardon was announced. In my opinion, this act did not heal anything. In fact, I believe it only served to deepened the divisions between the two parties and undermine the public's respect for our political system.

And our story about former first lady Betty Ford's public battle with cancer struck a personal note for Elaine Post(ph) in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994, she writes. Not long after my diagnosis, Mrs. Ford was in Tulsa for a political fundraiser. A dear friend of mine attended the fundraiser and spoke to Mrs. Ford about my diagnosis. Mrs. Ford asked my friend for details and wrote me a note. A short time later, my phone rang and it was Mrs. Ford. She said that she really wanted to speak with me and ask me about my treatment and prognosis. I will always remember her kindness and graciousness, and how she encouraged me to be a survivor.

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