Letters to the editor

Northwestern Financial Review, Nov 4, 2000

Thoughts Provoked By 'Stripper' Column

Your editorial in the Oct. 7 issue was excellent. Those very same questions you would pose to the stripper and the homeless man could be posed to millions of Americans, and even greater numbers globally. Does our society lend itself to a "haves/have nots" environment? We are the wealthiest, most prosperous nation in the world and yet, we still have people who exist with a substandard quality of life - even by other nation's standards. Does this happen by choice or by socio-demographic "slotting?" As a student of philosophy and political science, these issues intrigue me. If you ever get the answers from the stripper and the homeless man, please seek me out and share their responses.

Bob Sutton Executive Vice President South Dakota Bankers Association Pierre, S.D.

Your discussion of the stripper in Mitchell, S.D., and the homeless man in San Francisco really made me think. I am a CPA in Rapid City, S.D., and have been in the profession for approximately 12 years. I, too, have been wondering lately the same things about various people who are less-advantaged than I have been. "How did they get to the point they're at?" and "is there anything I can do to help?" are just a couple of the questions that come to my mind as I encounter these folks. As the final sentence in your column indicated, I, too, hope that someday I can find the courage to actually meet with and talk candidly with these folks to learn more about them and their circumstances.

Congratulations on an outstanding, thought-provoking column.

Clark Kraemer Senior Tax Manager RSM McGladrey Inc. Rapid City, S.D.