Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009

Letters 11/5

Less would be more

Some people are beginning to realize that President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress have gone too far.

They meddled in the business of Wall Street. Some said that was good. I say they needed to enforce the law.

They meddled in the automobile business. Many say they should have let the banks and lending institutions, as well as regulatory agencies, handle the situation. In effect; let the businesses sink or swim, depending on their situation.

They meddled in the energy business. The cap and trade deals that they've proposed will pass taxes onto the taxpayers and make energy less affordable to all of us. It will not allow our utility companies to build new plants, or expand existing ones.

They are attempting to meddle in our health care issues, which is none of their business. Health care needs reform, but more importantly, there needs to be more competition between insurance companies, not less.

The government's role is to create, monitor and maintain the rules, not become involved in the health insurance business. Instead of creating another bureaucracy, they need to make sure that Medicare and Medicaid do what they are supposed to do.

We need less government involvement in our lives.

Jim Shively

Belleville

The right loves failure

Recently, President Barack Obama flew to Copenhagen, Denmark, in hopes of securing the 2016 summer Olympics for Chicago. Unfortunately, the United States came up short and lost the bid. When Brazil was announced as the winner, the right-wing media including Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Drudge, Fox News and the Weekly Standard let out a roar of giddiness and pleasure of knowing that the United States lost the Olympics.

The right-wing echo chamber didn't really care about the $13.7 billion Chicago, Illinois and the United States would have gained. They didn't even care about the 318,000 jobs the Olympics would create here in the United States. The right wingers only cared about one thing and one thing only: Obama lost.

Their strategy is actually very simple: If America starts doing better and Obama gets credit for turning things around in areas like the economy, health care, and world opinion, then Republicans will lose at the polls. In fact, the GOP may be lucky to have control of Congress or see the White House again in our lifetime.

So, the right-wing, hate-spewing talking heads, along with their tea bagger minions, have been throwing and will continue to throw everything at the president including the kitchen sink. They hate Obama, not for what he may or may not do to help the United States, but because they don't like losing elections. Plain and simple.

W. Scott Kuhnert

Waterloo

A sucker's born

I have read many silly letters in the News-Democrat, but I think the recent one by Paul Thompson takes the cake. We need about 500 like Rep. John Shimkus who would walk out on the president.

Everyone should walk out on the president because he is ruining the country. Of course, brainwashed lefties like Thompson will never understand that until it's too late, and then they will cry.

The freebie hunters will not get the freebies when it's over. Thompson says Shimkus is a right-wing nut while he is a left-wing sucker.

Max W. Boyd

Collinsville

Thanks for support

As supervisor of one of the state's most economically depressed regions, I know how valuable certain state jobs programs can be to help job seekers become self-sufficient. Programs like the Illinois Department of Human Services' EarnFare, which is designed to provide adults who receive food stamps and who volunteer an opportunity to gain valuable work experience and earn cash assistance, are an important tool to fight unemployment.

I want to thank state Rep. Eddie Jackson for recognizing the desperate need for EarnFare in our region. Jackson quickly responded when I informed him that our township's EarnFare program was in jeopardy and helped us attain the resources necessary to avoid 48 layoffs.

I am thankful for Jackson's leadership on this issue. He helped save a program that keeps people on the path toward employment.

Robert Eastern Jr.

Supervisor, East St. Louis Township

Price of compassion

My wife, Babette, and I, recently witnessed a horrible tragedy when a car purposely ran over a baby kitten, crushing its back and breaking its legs. If this wasn't bad enough, listen to what happened next.

We took the injured kitten to an animal hospital where we pleaded with the receptionist to have a veterinarian look at it. The response was to ask if we used their facility. We said yes and asked why. We were told we would be charged.

We explained that it wasn't our animal, but once again we were told that we had to pay for our own humanity and sympathy for this poor little animal that might have belonged to some little boy or girl. The animal was going into shock by this time.

Before we left we were told a third time that someone had to pay for any service provided. Our questions are, why is the animal hospital in business? Is it only for the money? Whatever happened to basic human sympathy for other living creatures?

We understand that the animal may have needed to be put down, but can't we all have a moral, human, decent behavior to all living creatures and not make it all about the money?

Mike Van Fossan

Collinsville

Lethal rules of war

Oct. 8 marked the ninth year of the war against terrorism. The central battle in this war is taking place in Afghanistan. Our young men are being killed nearly four times as fast as in the first eight years of this battle.

Why? The answer is easy. The Obama administration has changed the rules of engagement and the prosecution of the war against the terrorists in Afghanistan.

Soldiers are not being allowed to engage the enemy until shots are being fired at them, they are required to not endanger "civilians" when women and children are carrying and handing ammunition and weaponry to other "civilians."

We are trying to avoid civilian death while our men are dying. All the terrorists are civilians, after all.

Military air power is being limited by the Obama administration because of the fear of civilian casualties, while our men are dying in the defense of their country at an accelerated rate.

When President Bush was prosecuting the war we used our air power to keep the enemy on the run. Now, with reduced use of air power, the civilian enemy is able to group up and ferry more munitions to the civilian fighters.

The result is a disgusting acceleration of deaths of our young men. I lay this at President Barack Obama's feet.

Where is the outrage in the press? The adulation of Obama during the election and since is the very reason.

I cannot wait for 2012 to get rid of this Obama abomination.

Ray Sigler

Trenton