In response to "Demand on businesses equals more jobs" (Letters, June 17): I'm one of those lefties who is aware that businesses are sitting on a pile of cash but I do not need to reread the paragraph about hiring workers being a byproduct of producing a product or service.
What the letter writer seems to miss is that there really isn't much point in producing a product or service for which there is no demand, because jobless consumers have no money.
What we do have a demand and desperate need for is repairs of our bridges, schools and grid. These are the responsibilities of government.
In a recession, the government is the only entity capable of putting people back to work, providing products and services we all need. These - yes, government - workers can now demand the products and services of the private sector. Once the private sector economy is flowing again the government can cut back on spending.
Unfortunately, the Bush administration got it backward - with a government surplus, it ramped up spending on two wars, a drug benefit for seniors and tax cuts for everyone. The Clinton surplus became the Bush depression.
As a lefty, I also find it laughable to think this is a climate hostile to businesses when their profits are higher than ever and the rich are getting richer faster than ever before. If this climate is hostile to business, let's have some of that kind of hostility for the rest of us.
Gail Nagasako
Wailuku
