It's Time To Stop

Dear editor:

There is so much being said about the war in Iraq these days, and most of it has to do with the fact that the American people are not in favor of the way it is being handled or whether or not the action was worth it. Now even Republican Senators and Congressmen are questioning the wisdom of the decision making process that put us in this morass. Poll after poll shows that the American public is fed up with the death toll of over 1,700 (and climbing daily) of its fighting men and women, and over 10,000 wounded. That is to say nothing of the constant cost of lives of Iraqi citizens.

We read that while the majority of those polled in our country feel that we cannot cut and run now that we are in Iraq, but they also feel that the war wasn’t worth it and it was a mistake to be there in the first place. Many of us have felt that way from the very beginning.

But why isn’t anyone putting the responsibility for this carnage where it belongs? Why isn’t the public shouting and screaming about the people who put us there? Why doesn’t someone come right out and call a spade a spade and say the words we all know to be true, no matter what our political leanings might be? It is not un-American, and you can still be supporting our troops, by saying what we all know. The “evidence” and reasons for going to war were lies and the truth was twisted to suit the personal desires of George Bush and company. They are the ones responsible for the deaths of all those Americans and Iraqis. When that group said that there were “Weapons of Mass Destruction”, that Saddam was behind the 9/11 disaster, that there were mobile chemical laboratories, that Iraq was buying uranium, they were lying to us and the whole world at the United Nations. The “Downing Street Memo” clearly confirms that the administration was intent on going to war with Saddam Hussein long before 9/11 and that Bush and Co. were twisting and using the term “terrorist threat” for their own aims. They are still using that term as an excuse for anything they do.

Are we as dumb and accepting as they think we are?

They Can't Admit Being Wrong

Dear editor:

The Pinellas County, Florida autopsy report on Terri Schiavo is in, and as expected by reasonable people, it shows that this poor lady had a brain that was “grossly abnormal”, blind, and that her “remaining brain regions show severe injury and neuronal loss.” In other words, she had irreversible brain damage, as claimed by the doctors on the scene and by her husband. It is a sad case.

Back in March of this year, Senator Dr. Bill Frist stated “As a physician, I question it (irreversible brain damage) based on a review of the video footage which I spent an hour or so looking at last night in my office here in the Capitol. And that footage, to me, depicted something very different than persistent vegetative state.” Now that the autopsy report is in does Dr. Frist (Majority Leader of the United States Senate) admit his obvious error? Of course not. He now meekly states on Good Morning America, “She had devastating brain damage and with that the chapter is closed.”

Back in March of this year, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay felt qualified to state, “Terri Schiavo is not brain-dead; she talks and she laughs, and she expresses happiness and discomfort.” Now that the autopsy report is in does Mr. DeLay admit his obvious error? Of course not. He’s silent.

And what about the president who flew back from his ranch in Texas to sign a bill that tried to force the courts to reverse things. Now that the autopsy report is in does Mr. Bush admit his obvious error? Of course not. He already told us during the campaign that he has never made a mistake that he can think of.

Of course Jeb Bush, governor of Florida, who spent so very much time trying to circumvent the courts and go against medical advice, now wants to have an investigation of Michael Schiavo (Terri’s ex-husband) to see if he was responsible for her condition. He can’t admit his obvious error. After all he’s a Bush, and they don’t make mistakes according to his brother. Why won’t he let this poor girl rest in peace?

And these are our leaders?

It's So Simple-Why don't they?

Dear editor:

We hear all kinds of possible solutions to the Social Security “crisis” funding. All of them seem to include either an increase in the withholding tax for working Americans or, pushing back the age people can retire and receive their benefits or, cutting benefits. These “solutions” all hit middle and lower income Americans in the pocket book. Is there another answer that would not have this woeful effect on working America? Yes, but no one in our government seems to want to talk about it.

Let’s face it, Social Security taxation is a regressive tax that takes more from the average American (percentage-wise) than it does from the high earner. A person earning less than $90,000 a year pays 6.25% of their gross income and an individual earning $180,000 a year pays half of that, or 3.125%. Why? Because there is a cap (or limit) set at $90,000 for paying Social Security tax. If Congress and the president would do away with this limitation and everyone would pay 6.25% on all their earnings it would make the fund solvent for 75 more years. None of the other Draconian steps would have to be taken. Simple? Yes! So why isn’t Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, and the president pushing that solution? Easy answer.

Mr. Bush is busy “staying the course” with his “solution” of privatization, which solves nothing and costs the country trillions of dollars. Republican senators and congressmen don’t want to upset the big contributors and corporations that donate to their campaigns. Democrat senators don’t want to upset big givers either and surely don’t want to propose anything sensible, and instead only want to knock the opposition. And while all these people play, we pay.

It’s about time Americans demand that Congress and the president look out for the middle and lower income earner and stop their catering to the wealthy. We need to do away with the “cap” on Social Security taxes.

More local Genius

Another day of genius out of the local paper that I love so much. Have to share with you something I read in today's paper that shows how some people think. Believe me, while it speaks of religion, in my opinion it has nothing to do with religion, but rather with the narrowmindedness of people.

The paper recently asked for a good explanation of all the "hoopla behind Star Wars." Seems some people who did not see the first couple of episodes didn't understand why so many enjoyed the latest chapter. Here is an actual unedited answer from a reader printed in the paper "Being a Christian, the main message I got from the movie is that it is very, very easy to be drawn to the "dark" side by selfishness, greed and the thirst for power, and perhaps it is sometimes harder to be good and do the right thing."

It is beyond me to understand what the movie has to do with real life and religion. I guess that explains why so many evangelical extremists apply the same kind of thinking to politics. If they can't understand the simplicity and amusement of a movie like that, how can they understand the workings, morality, and thinking of a democracy?

Or am I the crazy one?