Living in the United States affords us many opportunities and freedoms. I am always in awe at how easy it is for us to speak openly of our dissent. This open dialogue plays out everyday through editorials and letters to the editor in local papers across America.
Whether it is a disagreement with a recent City Hall policy, a State budget discussion, or the direction our national leaders are taking us, the Forth Estate has remained one of the major vehicles for citizens to voice their opinions.
Newspaper readership is declining (except for those papers that offer their editions online), but letters to the editors are increasing because it remains one of the surefire ways for a regular person to share their thoughts with anyone who cares to listen.
Recently I read two letters to the editor that I thought merited sharing. The following two letters were printed in the July 4, 2007, edition of the Foster’s Daily Democrat of Dover, New Hampshire:
GOP bunglers — a fair analysis
To the editor:
I read Mr. Fergus Cullen's June 23 commentary and then saw Mr. Grimes' June 29 response on your viewpoint page. I think Mr. Grimes sums up Mr. Cullen's piece very well, however, you can see in his message the exact reason the GOP has bungled things.
Like the GOP, the Mr. Grimes espouses interview tag lines without really knowing the facts. Unlike the GOP, Mr. Grimes doesn't need to set the record straight to keep his job, a fact the GOP has absolutely failed to do.
For instance, "Nearly 50 million Americans have no health insurance ..." is a left wing propaganda stab. The truth is that out of the 45 million, 15-17 million are Medicare or Medicaid eligible and just do not sign up. Another 12 million are people uninsured for less than four months, mostly a rolling number who are between jobs. Another 9 million choose not to sign up for their companies insurance and most of them are under the age of 27 and feel that they are in good health and would rather buy a car or some new iPhone.
Additionally, Mr. Grimes notes that we are at the "brink of insolvency." This doesn't settle with the facts. The Department of Revenue has brought in more revenue than in any other time in history. The contributing factor is the Bush tax cuts which, like Reagan's tax cuts, put the U.S. in a period of tremendous growth. Have you seen the stock market lately?
Without these tax cuts the Clinton administration's gutting of income reporting rules that contributed to the crooks at MCI, Enron and Tyco scandals would have put our economy in a spiral that we still would not have recovered from.
As for the war, we just flat disagree. Like it or not America is the beacon of freedom around the world. Like the Monroe Doctrine dictates, if you wish for freedom and democracy the U.S. will be your most loyal friend.
I know, I know you think it is all about oil. Well maybe that's part of it too, but so what. If your friends in the Democratic Party and the environmental extremists don't let us build new refineries or nuclear power plants we are beholden to the whims and fancies of every nut that takes control in the Middle East. In this case we are invested in the stability of that region.
As a real conservative I will give you that in many areas the Republican Party has let us down and deserved what they got in the last election. However, if you really are fair in your analysis, what we have gotten is no better and in many ways much worse for the freedoms we have come to cherish. Look no further than the oxymoronic Fairness Doctrine.
Arnold Bennett
Rochester
Some things never do change
To the editor,
Mark Twain said there are three kinds of lies, "lies, damn lies and statistics."
Secular progressives justify the acceptance of weakened moral and ethical standards on the grounds that times have changed.
Times have changed. Throughout our prairie states people now live in houses with central heat and air conditioning instead of dirt-floored hovels with sod walls. Scientific and medical advances let many of us watch great grand children grow and develop.
Though times change, integrity, honor, truth, virtue and responsibility have not, do not and must not if civilization is to exist.
"Honor thy father and mother" nor "thou shalt not steal" have changed. The desirability of chastity has not changed and no liberal interpretation will erase the grief and unhappiness paid for its violation.
"Thou shalt not bear false witness" has not changed in fact but only in the practice of those willing to twist the truth to defame those whom they want to destroy.
Apparently John DiNella, who has assumed Carol Shea-Porter's position as a co-chair of the Rochester Democratic Committee, found my June 16 letter so dangerous it was necessary to obfuscate the words I wrote.
I spent a number of years in first grade teaching six-year-olds to write, read and cipher, to respect themselves and each other and the property owned by others. I never talk down to children. (shouldn't have to for adults) Children love to learn "big" words. Developing vocabulary is important because thinking is done in words. A love of words and their correct usage is one hallmark of an educated individual.
All great civilizations have fallen from within, as Rome did, when people lost their moral compass. This country can follow the Roman Empire's example. The Middle Eastern barbarians will pluck up our remains. Bush, and Blair will join Cicero in history's memory as leaders who tried to turn the tide.
Phyllis Johnson
Berwick, Maine
Foster's Daily Democrat
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