Road to Ruin

A landscaping contractor was found guilty of paying his workers only $8 to $12 per hour for the maintenance of highway interchanges by having them kick back more than half of their wages (Feb. 7). The state’s prevailing contract wage for this menial work was $24 to $29 per hour. It seems to me the Department of Transportation, which set the hourly wages of $24 to $29 per hour for raking leaves, etc., is the culprit. But heck, why should the state care if the job is really worth $8 to $12 per hour; it’s only taxpayers’ money.

Fred Alexander

Santa Monica