Letters to the Editor

Government must put its needs first

To the Editor:

“Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets” is the old song. New song, second verse: “Whatever Obama wants, Obama gets,” with the help of the liberal Congress majority and courts and “32 unconstitutional czar positions” appointed by him without any scrutiny, approval or elections.

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.) the longest serving Democratic senator, has criticized President Obama’s appointments of White House czars to oversee federal policy, saying these executive positions amount to a power grab by the executive branch which threatens the constitutional system of checks and balances. He stated “White House czars have taken direction and control of programmatic areas that are the statutory responsibility of Senate-confirmed officials.” (source: st/today.com 6/15/09 and 7/6/09).

What Obama wants is direct control of all government policy and decisions — it is called nationalization and government monopoly! It has begun with the take over of financial entities, banks and auto manufacturers, population control by payments for abortions (even overseas) and now going into student loans, health care, “shutting down the Internet” and easing our country’s fight against terrorism — if Obama says it’s not a threat anymore we and our allies do not need protection. (note: no missile defense in Europe and helping the dictator return to the democratic country of Honduras).

What US citizens need is more private competition with responsibility; more choices and input on health-care reform (the AMA does not speak for the majority of doctors and AARP is not serving the true interest for seniors who will be severely affected by Obama’s and congressional plans, plus the children will be saddled with ever-greater debt, according to the Government Accounting Office), more choices on energy policies, education, media (i.e. Internet, TV, radio, phones) and systems to protect our freedoms.

Like its citizens, the government must put needs first. It must reform issues, not just change.

This is the message our elected officials must hear and vote accordingly.

Bernie and Rose Stocking, Mitchell

Obama has got to fix Social Security

To the Editor:

President Roosevelt and Congress created Social Security in 1935 to protect Americans from a poverty-ridden old age. President Obama said he can’t fix all the world’s problems. One thing he’s got to fix is Social Security.

We pay $800 billion in interest on the national debt. We should put that money back in the Social Security trust fund, which they have been raiding for porkbarrel spending and pet programs, etc. Then we can pay the American people a fair and accurate coin.

In 2009, I went from $626 to $662 which gave me a Social Security COLA raise of $36. So now I get $662, some get $63. I should at least get that $63 COLA raise in 2010. I got a medicine supplement that is taken out every month of $169.30 to life insurance policy $41.16 and $41.70. I get my apartment gas bill to pay, but gas is going down.

President Obama and the Congress: It is vital that Congress give seniors binding legal guarantee that benefits and the COLA will never be cut for this or future generations. So, President Obama and Congress, passing the bill HR 236 will take away Congress’ legal power to cut your Social Security benefits or annual cost of living adjustment. We get to have a Social Security COLA raise every year.

The expenses are going to keep going up, and what would we do without Social Security? If someone is just living on a Social Security check, I don’t see how they can do it without another source of income.

Allen Nolz, Mitchell

Rethink decision on television guide

To the Editor:

I would like to express my extreme displeasure with your decision to discontinue the Entertainment Guide in its most recent format. Sticking it in the want ads with only the evening listings is a poor substitute. I like to plan my TV viewing by the week, and peruse the schedules, both day and night, for programs of interest, mark them and have the listings available for the week.

When I called to complain, the person I spoke with suggested I view Channel 4 for the listings. Well, have you tried to plan a weeks’ viewing by that method? I timed the length of time it takes for one rotation of the schedule: four minutes and 10 seconds. And this only gives you the listings for one and a half hours of programming. Can you imagine the time you would waste by that method? I, for one, do not have that kind of time to waste.

If the amount of money you would save on paper by this new decision were to be refunded to your customers so they could buy some other kind of TV listing guide, i.e. another paper perhaps, perhaps you would get more support from me for your ridiculous decision. I truly hope you re-think this action.

Lee Ball, Mitchell

Blaming Obama alone is stupid

To the Editor:

I read with interest the letter from Donald Hoffman about the Obama Health Care Plan. I went on the computer and could not find a plan that was titled “Obama Health Care Plan” so I did a further investigation, putting in one of the suggested pages and lines to read. To my surprise I did find an article. What bothered me then was that this article with all its comments was written by someone named Jeff Rense. (Rense.com)

For anyone interested in reading about this man, he is an American conspiracy theorist and has a radio show on US Satellite Radio via Genesis Communication Network.

People, we have to start going about this rationally and not believe everything we read on the Internet. There is so much hate out there and, yes, I believe a lot of it is because Barack Obama is our first black president.

He didn’t create the mess we’re into in just the nine months he has been our president. To blame him and him alone is stupid. Why can’t we all be Americans and work together instead of screaming at each other?

Carol Huber, Mitchell

Kindness, aid to poor important

To the Editor:

I read with interest the debate over whether Eulalio Castellanos should be saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in debt for a medical bill some folks don’t want to see paid by public money.

Leaving aside for a moment how easy it proved for the hospital to whittle down that bill from $500,000 to $149,000 it is striking that so many people would dump the remainder of the price onto a fellow who worked hard to support his own family honestly and, like so many of us, hoped he would never need catastrophic health coverage.

Another interesting observation: Growing up in Mitchell, the Presbyterian Church (and the Congregational pastor, too, during summertime when congregations shared services to give our shepherds a vacation) said, as near as I can recall, that we’re supposed to help people. Kindness, generosity and aid to the poor were always coming up in their lessons. The ministers never told us about the part where Jesus wanted to be coldhearted to newer immigrants than our folks, or deny care for the ailments of the poor, the unlucky and the struggling. Have they changed the teachings of the churches since then?

Susan Shaffer, MHS class of 1970, Salem, Ore.

Tags: government needs, bernie and rose stocking, social security, allen nolz, tv guide, lee ball, health care, carol huber, indigent aid, susan shaffer, opinion