Dear Editor,
Regarding Letter to the Editor from Daniel Kenney: While I reject his facile characterization of those who oppose the health care reform bill, I am one who sees this as more welfare state/socialism. But I doubt that he realizes that he largely makes my point for me. He says “I suggest you all show your protest by giving up all the government benefits that you already have” and then goes on to list six socialistic/welfare state entitlement programs. The construction of roads and emergency services are reasonable uses of government funds as would public schools if only they were effective, but the rest of the list – subsidies, entitlements, government payouts are not.
We are a long way from socialism, but we started on that road in 1935 with the Social Security Act. This is just another milestone on that road. Each milestone represents more government encroachment on our lives, more taxes and expectation for more from a population already used to the existing programs.
He closes with: “We’ve elected our government leaders to lead and make the hard decisions to keep our country together.” He is right, but they sure made a bad decision on this one.
Daryl O’Grady, Morgan Hill
Our leaders are spending us into bankruptcy, ‘got it’
Dear Editor,
In the April 2, edition of your paper a person is quoted in an article as saying that they “understand the need to raise taxes. The state is in crisis – I totally get it … ”
With no offense please to the person making the quote; I as a regular non-elite, hard-working citizen trying to make ends meet during horrible fiscal times – DO NOT “get it.” The last thing we need now are higher taxes. Don’t the politicians “get it” (apparently not), we are tapped out!!
Government gets bigger and bigger, and we the “little” people get poorer and poorer. And our “leaders” – the “elitist politicians” either don’t “get it” or simply just don’t care – most likely the latter.
Take a look at your tax return. How much tax did you pay last year? Then look at sales tax, excise tax, property tax, gasoline tax, utility tax and all the other taxes we pay. All this money – and remember it is YOUR money – goes to a huge bloated bureaucracy (called government) that spends, spends and spends. Maybe it is out of control government spending that has caused our “crisis?” Has it ever occurred to the tax-and-spend politicians that if they cut wasteful spending, and manage our fiscal house responsibly – just as you and I do when we run out of money – that maybe we would not have the current crisis?
But what do I know? I’m not an anointed know-all elected official, not a financial expert, or an economist. I’m just the guy that foots the bill for this utter and shameful wastefulness. And all the while the state and country are spent into oblivion.
If you “get it” and love high taxes, keep voting the tax and spenders into office. With luck, we can bankrupt the state and country (and you) sooner than later. However, if you don’t “get it” do some homework and think about our “crisis” the next time you vote.
Stan Faulwetter, Morgan Hill
Same old misinformation confuses people regarding nuclear power
Dear Editor:
It’s unfortunate that Wes Rolley trots out the same old misinformation that continues to confuse people about the benefits of nuclear power. He assumes that we should all be living in a world where there is “zero radiation” – a fallacy of the highest magnitude. Our world has always had and will continue to have some level of radiation and it is not a bad thing.
We receive various forms of radiation from space, building materials, flying in airplanes and medical treatments – all of which contribute to a better and healthier quality of life. Of course the government controls the nuclear power industry, just as it controls food, drugs, airplanes and water quality. Would you have it any other way?
I maintain that the alternatives of coal mining, oil drilling, gas production and the transportation and burning of those fuels are incomparably worse for our health and environment than the benefits of producing electricity from nuclear power plants.
Robert Benich, Morgan Hill
