Politicians

As members of Congress and the president muddle their way through the budget, I must comment. In case there is a government shutdown, members of Congress and the president (and vice president) continue to be paid. However, members of the military, many risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, will be given IOUs. Pay the soldiers. Let elected officials go without their paychecks. It’s a no-brainer! Annabel Girard Danville

¿¿Having dodged a government shutdown for the moment, Congress is now embroiled in a burning debate over cutting the federal budget. The House has passed a bill imposing far-reaching cuts of $61 billion  — dramatically slashing everything from education and housing to environmental regulations and public broadcasting. This is “the will of the people,”  House Speaker John Boehner argues, citing last November’s elections. Yet national polls suggest otherwise.

A well-known Republican representative from Lancaster is at it again — picking on us, we the poor people eking out an existence on welfare. He is desiring a law to be passed requiring poor people to pass a drug test before receiving food stamps and other welfare benefits. Well why not, as they say, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. So now in the meantime let’s pass a law requiring every elected official to pass a drug test before they can hold elected office.

Dear Editor, The liberals in the Democrat Party have been crying wolf for the past six years, telling the people that the country was in financial trouble and even though we had record low unemployment and a record high gross domestic product, we were really headed for a depression. This propaganda, coupled with the actions by the Democrats in Congress, aided by some spineless Republicans, who blocked the domestic drilling proposals and the efforts to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, took its toll and people finally started to react by reducing the amount they spend on most consumer goods, which is what really regulates the economy.

Dear Editor, I believe Linda Lussier was somewhat confused by Bob Martin's op-ed piece, and perhaps there are others. What Mr. Martin said was that the calls "represented" an unholy alliance between Marxists and free-market radicals, not that those are the people who made the calls. He was saying that both people who believe Wall Street is evil and those who believe the market should primarily control itself are upset with the bailout, if for slightly different reasons. While Marxists believe that Wall Street is confirming that it should not exist, and free marketers believe that those who gambled on bad investments should take their hits, both are mainly upset that the government is using an obscene amount of money - our money - to fix the problem.

I am tired. Not of work or ministry or traveling or life in general. I am tired of hearing about politics!And it's just getting started. Know up front that I am not going to endorse any candidate. I rarely discuss politics publicly and never mention it in my sermons, but I am greatly bothered by the church's and Christians' responses to the beginnings of "Election '08. " Why do we think the presidency can make or break society? I hear pastors and major "religious" spokespersons continually say things like, "This is the most important election in the history of our country!"

The outcome of congressional left-wingers' attempts to kill the Colombian free-trade agreement plays out as critically for Kentuckians as for Colombians. Most Americans don't understand the stakes, a reality that politicians such as Reps. John Yarmuth and Ben Chandler - both opponents of the agreement - seem all too willing to exploit. These congressmen need to part with their narrow-minded union pals on this issue and think about Kentucky's - and our nation's - economic and political future.

One always hopes that something good will come from the kind of tragedy that is now playing on the national stage. And some constructive suggestions have been made about how to avoid another Terri Schiavo case. First and foremost is the need for everyone to spell out in writing in the form of a "living will" what steps should be taken if they should become incapacitated. Other than that one constructive piece of information, however, it's hard to see what good can come from the current national obsession with Terri Schiavo's fate.

(Editor's Note: The opinions expressed by the reporter here are not necessarily those of the newspaper. We understand she may have a taste for crow.) A feud is brewing between the newspaper and local politicians - a fair feud. Tonight at 8 p.m. five of the sharpest Advocate staff members will take on a group of loosely-organized politicians in the Boyle County rendition of Family Feud. Our team is being led by the fearless Debbie Wagner, a legend in her own time.

Dear Editor: Enough already. The Schiavo case is over so why keep publishing stories and letters about it? Our politicians from George W. on down have mud on their faces for trying to override the courts. My congratulations to the judge in Florida for ending this. Terri is gone, so let us get on with life. Mark Abshire Danville

For several weeks I was very ill. However, I am now about 80 percent recovered. I am now ready to resume doing what I love to do. And I would like to speak out on an issue critical to millions of Americans. That issue is the future of Social Security. Republicans continue their effort to destroy the Social Security system. The big question to me is why? What is it about Social Security they see as a monster? Fact One: The Social Security Trust Fund does not contribute one thin dime to our national debt.

The current discussion in Frankfort about how to address Kentucky's corrupt legislative pension system is, to recast Shakespeare's “Macbeth” line, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Or, certainly “very little.” While lawmakers from both parties in Frankfort finally realize that taxpayers' fiscal fuses are growing short, it's evident from the flurry of pension bills pre-filed for this year's Kentucky General Assembly that...

The election is over. The Romney-Ryan ticket has gone down in defeat. President Obama has won a decisive second term, as I predicted he would - twice. While we still have a divided government, this decisive win by President Obama is speaking to Republicans in Washington that unity is the key to moving this nation forward. That we all share a common bond in that we all are Americans. That we all are in this together. That indeed, united we stand, divided we fall. There is no reason or excuses now for Republicans to continue to obstruct the president and Democrats on vital issues.

I am concerned about politicians who say their views are moderate one day and conservative the next, just to fit their own agenda to win or to make their opponent sound wrong in their statements. You can't straddle the fence and be on God's side. The Bible says a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. So can you trust this kind of man? I don't think so. Some politicians do and say whatever it takes to win. But this is not what we need in Frankfort. I believe that some who call themselves Christians put their political party ahead of their Christianity.

Even the darkest night will eventually yield to dawn. Every little glimmer is welcome, and it feels like sunshine is imminent again with the announcement of the opening of SMC Manufacturing Services in Nicholasville. Every gleam is welcome. The announcement eases the sting, a little, which our community still feels from the closing of Adcom Wire in December. Hopefully some who lost their jobs will find employment in the new facility, alongside others who are still reeling from the economic effects of unemployment.

WLEX-TV in Lexington is reporting that Gatewood Galbraith, a Lexington resident, has died at 64. Galbraith has been a perennial candidate for governor and an often outspoken advocate for the legalization of marijuana. Dea Riley, his running mate in the the 2011 governor's race, released the information about Galbraith's death. No word yet on the cause of death. Nothing had been posted on Galbraith's campaign website at press time. Galbraith was an attorney and a native of Carlisle.

Last month, a Time magazine article about two freshman House members on Capitol Hill featured this pronouncement from one of them: “The people did not send me here to compromise.” His colleague noted that compromise is “a word that people have kind of demonized.” For a politician, “I will not compromise!” seems like a sure-fire applause-getter — at least, when preaching to the choir. It’s not so good for the nation as a whole, however. There is room in politics for elected leaders who won’t back down on their principles.

As members of Congress and the president muddle their way through the budget, I must comment. In case there is a government shutdown, members of Congress and the president (and vice president) continue to be paid. However, members of the military, many risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, will be given IOUs. Pay the soldiers. Let elected officials go without their paychecks. It’s a no-brainer! Annabel Girard Danville

¿¿Having dodged a government shutdown for the moment, Congress is now embroiled in a burning debate over cutting the federal budget. The House has passed a bill imposing far-reaching cuts of $61 billion  — dramatically slashing everything from education and housing to environmental regulations and public broadcasting. This is “the will of the people,”  House Speaker John Boehner argues, citing last November’s elections. Yet national polls suggest otherwise.

For several years, I have enjoyed your “Voice of the People” section. I try to read every letter. I admit that some letters printed bore me. Some do not hold my interest at all. Still, I read them. Of all the letter writers to the Voice of the People, I have a favorite. That writer is Roger Bowman. His letters never bore me. They always interest me and my wife. I won’t say that I always agree with him. Most of the time I do. I enjoy his open candor.