In response to JP Eichmiller's column "Wal-Mart: Capitalism Run Amuck," I was shocked at Mr. Eichmiller's either misunderstanding, or intentional misrepresentation of the facts in a couple areas of the article.

When addressing the issue of Wal-Mart closing a store in Canada when workers were threatening to unionize, Eichmiller left out key points of interest, such as demanding large pay increases, while simultaneously demanding that 30 new workers be hired. In essence, the workers at the store were asking to be paid more for doing less. I don't believe many companies would have accepted such ridiculous requests.

On another issue, Eichmiller implied that Wal-Mart workers should be paid more because it would reduce the amount of government assistance that is necessary. I see some problems with this argument. If a company is forced to increase the payment of wages to workers, that leads to increased operation costs, which leads to less income, which leads to less investment by that company, which means fewer stores being opened, which leads to more people being unemployed, which leads to more people collecting the very same benefits that Eichmiller implied would be reduced by increasing the current workers wages. I for one would rather have some people needing small amounts of government assistance than many people being completely reliant on government assistance.

We need to eliminate bad government policies and unreasonable unions, not quality organizations like Wal-Mart.

Grant Tanabe

Sophomore

History major

Caressa Lattimore's concerns (Thursday's guest column) about abstinence-only sexuality education really hit home here in Northern Colorado. The Weld County Department of Public Health offers an abstinence-only program that does not include information about family planning and disease prevention – basic health information teens need to keep them safe from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Federal guidelines require abstinence-only programs teach only the value that abstaining from sex is the right moral choice for everyone. Every individual has a right to pursue sexual health information and services without fear, shame or exploitation. That right involves access to adequate, accurate and age-appropriate information about sexuality, including the advantages and disadvantages of sexual expression.

There is little evidence that teens who participate in abstinence-only programs abstain from intercourse longer than others. It is known, however, that when they do become sexually active, teens who received abstinence-only education often fail to use condoms or other contraceptives. Every reputable sexuality education organization in the United States, as well as prominent health organizations including the American Medical Association, have denounced abstinence-only sexuality education.

The use of these programs cannot be justified in Weld County at any time, much less when it is experiencing rising rates of HIV infection and teen pregnancy. For more information about this and about what you can do to stop it, please attend a Pro-Choice CSU meeting. The next scheduled meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday in Eddy Hall room107.

Daniel J. Kessler

Public Affairs

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains