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Social Security and religion are the issues of the day. And perhaps a few days out of town on business were good for The Daily Pulse. This is the first one EVER to not include Tom DeLay.
North County (Escondido, California) Times
This may sound like sour grapes from the election loser, but everything he said is true. It is also succinct, and I couldn't find a word to cut.
A Fool for a Congressman
Issa misunderstands Social Security
Darrell Issa (Letters, April 27) makes an error-filled attack on Robin Friedheim's letter of April 19. However, I would like to thank him for doing this, since he has finally clarified for me why he ran away from every possible debate forum with me last fall. The man simply does not know what he's talking about, so how could he debate?
Consider how Rep. Issa employs scare-mongering, asserting that we must act before "Social Security runs out of money." Runs out of money? Social Security is a pay-as-you-go program. As such it can never run out of money as long as there are workers paying into it. Under the very worst-case assumptions (which are unlikely), several decades from now the program will only be able to pay about 75 cents on the dollar if nothing is done to shore it up. True, but having 75 cents for each dollar owed is not the same thing as running out of money. That would entail recipients receiving zero cents on the dollar. And 75 is not equal to zero.
Again, thank you, Rep. Issa, for clarifying to me why you were so fearful of debating me last fall.
MIKE BYRON
Oceanside
The Daily Sentinal (Grand Junction, Colorado)
This letter really identifies the anger and hatred being vented by the "family values" people.
Name Calling and Hate
Liberal judges, social sophists, Florida kangaroo Supreme Court, sophist judges, a cabal of unelected, unaccountable socialist (liberal), elitist judges, socialist/fascist agenda, sophist deception-based talking point and judicial oligarchy.
All of those terms, aimed specifically at furthering the greatest divide in our country since the Civil War, appeared in a single letter to the editor on these pages recently.
When did name calling and the obvious hatred from which it stems, become a family value?
DAVID COOPER
Clifton
The Daily Sentinal (Grand Junction, Colorado)
This letter, from the same papers, shows more propaganda swallowed by gullible people. Clinton never supported personal accounts carved out of Social Security, accounts that would gut the system and massively increase debt. Unfortunately, a large percentage of this country seems capable of learning only talking points.
Clinton and Private Accounts
I was skeptical when I read a recent letter from a reader claiming Bill Clinton supported creating personal accounts for Social Security. However, a little research proved these claims to be accurate.
In addition, I discovered current Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid also advocated investing a portion of the Social Security Trust Fund into the stock market in the late '90s.
If Clinton supported personal accounts, and if Sen. Reid wanted to also help get better returns on Social Security, then where are they now in supporting Social Security reform?
Sen. Wayne Allard supports giving Americans greater control over their retirement, and in a recent letter to The Daily Sentinel, Sen. Ken Salazar didn't say he opposed personal accounts, so why don't we move forward in creating meaningful reforms before it is too late?
JOSH FRANCIS
Grand Junction
Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado)
Here is an interesting back and forth. The first letter has yet more of the Christians-as-victims mentality, as well as the "Christian Founding Fathers fantasy. It also reaches the usual conclusion that one must either join the author's sect or be a hedonist. Is it truly impossible to treat others decently without a vengeful God to punish you?
Religion or Hedonism
The leaders of England commonly referred to the American War For Independence as the "Presbyterian Rebellion." Now, flash forward 230 years, and Sen. Ken Salazar is saying Focus on the Family is being "un-Christian" because they are chastising him and others with whom they disagree.
We also have state Sen. Abel Tapia being hurt because a colleague referred to homosexuality as "an abomination." Yet Leviticus 18:22 says exactly that, and the apostle Paul in Romans 1:26-27 calls it unnatural and shameful.
Certainly there is very little that our society is ashamed of anymore, except Christianity of course.
The "Presbyterian Rebellion" gave us the greatest freedom and prosperity man has ever known. Now it is in peril of being lost to the socialists who want to restore the feudal society of England from which we escaped!
Yes, we've come a long way, baby; God and the Bible is out, and narcissistic, secular hedonism is in. What's your eternal reward?
George Lilly
Denver
Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado)
But this next letter, in the same paper, takes an entirely different tact- an educated response. The debate about what is or isn't an "abomination," as this writer points out, is based on a flawed permise, a false interpretation.
Abomination or Sin?
It is very unsettling to have the Bible enter in to any legislative debate - but it is absolutely appalling to have the old "abomination" argument flung around by people who are working on hearsay - even if that hearsay came from their own pastors ("Moments of drama," April 21). It is way too easy to use the word with all its current emotional associations and not realize that originally it was not a word associated with moral judgment. Pastors should admit that using this word as God's condemnation is using later interpretations, not the original literal Bible.
Father Daniel A. Helminiak, a Roman Catholic priest and noted theologian, devotes a whole chapter to this word in his book What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality. He analyzes the original Hebrew terms, noting that the term used meant religious or cultural "impurity" or "taboo."
Those taboos had to do with keeping Israelites "pure," as in avoiding things that were "un-Jewish." The Bible did not use the available word for something which is wrong in itself, an injustice, a sin. Those who care should read the whole interesting discussion; those who don't should stop assaulting folks with a viciously false meaning of the word "abomination"!
Nancy Kratohvil
Centennial
Lodi (California) News Sentinal
Save the Filibuster
"Advise and consent" does not mean roll over and play dead. The filibuster allows the minority party to participate, and should be retained.
I oppose any efforts to eliminate the 200-year-old constitutional right to filibuster in the U.S. Senate.
The filibuster throughout American history has provided bipartisan checks and balances on executive and legislative branch overreach. ...
The alleged goal is to grab absolute, unchecked power by packing the courts with right-wing judicial extremists who appear loyal and sympathetic to special business interests and committed to an ideology and judicial philosophy that is not guided or justified by legal precedent or constitutional law. Mr. Bush has resubmitted the names of several controversial federal appellate-court candidates whose nominations were previously blocked by Senate Democrats during his first term because they were, in part, deemed extreme.
The courts belong to all Americans, not just the party in power. This non-political branch of our government should not be the target of a partisan power grab by extremists who are turning to the courts to win victories that they have not been able to win in the political arena. ...
June Thomas
Lodi
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois)
Here is yet another letter writer firmly convinced me must follow her very own religious dogma or be without morals or ethics? What do people like this think? That every non-Christian country in the world is a hotbed of rape and murder, utterly uncontrollable because the wrong list is carved into the walls?
Right and Wrong
...
Perhaps the employees who lost their pensions at Enron would have much preferred that the leaders of their company would have brought their morals and ethics back into their workplace, if indeed they had any.
Perhaps we as parents would feel much better if children were taught that morals and ethics are good to bring into a classroom. ...
Our problem is agreeing about what is moral and ethical. Our morals and ethics may not agree, because our society has experienced a major upheaval about what is right and what is wrong.
I believe the answers are clear and can be found in the Ten Commandments. But, of course, those are all being thrown out.
Instead, we now can all decide for ourselves what is right, whether it be in the form of killing an unborn child or blowing off someone's head because we don't like what they said to us in a classroom, or absconding with corporate funds and draining the pension funds of hard-working people.
Until we return to the basic truths of right and wrong and stop relying on our own individual ideas of morality, these situations will continue and worsen. It is believed that the Ten Commandments were brought to the people in 1462 B.C. Why, now, after almost 3,500 years do we reject them as irrelevant?
Leslie Pinney
Arlington Heights
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois)
Almost every word in this pro-life polemic is false. Abortion is increasing, not decreasing. And the laws passed in Missouri had nothing to do with safety, they had to do wtih stripping away the right to abortion in every way possible short of falling afoul of Roe v. Wade.
Illinois Abortion Champion
...
After 33 years of pro-life activism across this country and Ireland, I can state unequivocally that the Land of Lincoln has now "earned" the dubious reputation of being the most abortion-intense state of all 50.
Adoption, parental notification, women's right to know, regulation of abortuaries for women's health are all examples. With abortions across the country decreasing, Illinois continues to increase.
The Senate (26-6) and the House (121-31) in Missouri have approved legislation to make a woman's health and safety a priority. The "doctors" who perform abortions must have hospital privileges to ensure the transfer of women to the local hospital when an abortion is botched.
More meaningful to Illinois, now known as the dumping ground of the Midwest for abortions, is legislation that will allow parents to file civil lawsuits against those who have taken their underage children across state lines for abortions to avoid parental notification. ...
What a novel idea, that is, in any place other than Springfield. When are Illinois parents going to wake up and tell Emil Jones and Michael Madigan, and their minions, that they can raise their children better than the politicians?
Hopefully, soon, like starting in the elections of 2006.
Jim Finnegan
Barrington
Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois)
The third letter from the same paper. I'm guessing this guy is not a Bush voter.
Don't Believe Bush
Don't believe one word Bush says
George W. Bush told us there was a crisis in Iraq with weapons of mass destruction.
There wasn't.
Bush told us the war would be expensive.
He failed to come anywhere near telling us just how expensive it would be. ...
Bush told us his Medicare plan would lower costs.
Costs of prescription drugs are soaring.
Bush told us what his Medicare plan would cost.
The cost tripled.
Now Bush tells us he knows how to fix Social Security.
Hernando Today (Tampa, Florida)
The basic flaw in this letter is obvious. The writer concludes Social Security was meant to be insurance, but people think of it as a retirement plan, therefore let's make it a retirement plan. Don't we already have retirement plans? Have you ever heard of a 401K, a 403B, an IRA, a Roth IRA? What do we do with people forced to buy an annuity the day after Ken Lay destroys Enron. If we do away with insurance, who makes sure grandma gets enough cat food to survive?
Insurance or Retirement Fund?
...
Sadly, young workers of today will probably pay more in payroll taxes than they ever hope to receive in benefits. I can't understand why there is no out-cry from young workers in support of the president's plan to save Social Security.
Don't they realize that government "actuaries" warn the current Social Security system will, in 2018 (13 years), be paying out more in benefits than it collects in taxes and by 2042 will be unable to meet its benefit payments to future retirees....
Social Security was meant to be an insurance policy against poverty, but since people have used it as a retirement fund what is wrong with changing the system to meet that goal? ...
Why not let future generations invest a portion of their contribution into various funds, thereby giving them an even greater insurance against poverty?
Why is the older generation afraid to go along with any change?
The president's plan doesn't affect anyone age 55 or older including the soon-to-be retiree. ...
Our Congressional Representatives seemed focused on the current Social Security recipients, but they need to realize that there are many younger voters that expect them to make responsible decisions for their future, too.
It's time to stop the bleeding. Being proactive costs much less than being reactive.
Christopher A. Soto
Spring Hill
Gainesville (Florida) Sun
You can tell Gainesville is a University town. The writer actually responds to the usual religous tripe with facts.
The Religious Right
There has been a lot of discussion of late concerning "the religiosity of the right," and its agenda (not clearly definable by most), and even more so, the large segment of the population it supposedly represents.
It is a widely held view that America was founded by God-fearing people and we as a society have somehow become less fearful of God. Studies show that approximately 17 percent of the colonists in 1776 were considered to be religious.
The numbers peaked in 1980, with approximately 62 percent of the population involved in religious activities. Only 35 percent to 40 percent of the population is involved in some form of religious activity on any regular basis. ...
Morality is defined as the quality of being in accord with standards of right or good conduct, and whether one is God-fearing is an individualistic happenstance and does not equate into the proposition that those that are not are somehow less likely to exhibit morality.
Considering that less than 50 percent of eligible voters turn out to vote, the word majority becomes a moot point. And, that too, is something the apologists might address.
Denny Cautrell,
Gainesville
The Times Record (Brunswick, Maine)
This woman's son is in the national Guard, in Iraq, and he doesn't have proper body armor. The draft is inevitable, and the war drums are beating. And yet, we keep buying Bush's smokescreens.
Another bush Smokescreen
President Bush and Congress are involved in yet another smokescreen to divert our attention from the real important matters of this country. Aren't you amazed that they have spent so much time and energy on the Terri Schiavo case, while every day our soldiers are killed or seriously injured, and those who do return of sound body most often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder?
While the proposed budget has set aside $1.5 billion for building the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, my son's National Guard unit does not have all their body armor and the correct weapons and vehicles, and it is not being trained properly. Is this any way to treat our soldiers?
We recently observed the second anniversary of this war. How long will those who gave thumbs up to protestors standing on the bridges remain silent? Will it take the draft to motivate them to demand that we stop this insanity and bring the troops home? They think their children are safe. With re-enlistments in all services down, the draft is inevitable. The president gave the Selective Service System a set of readiness goals to be implemented by March 31, which means that the system must be fully operational by June 15. This time there will be no deferments.
With the president beating the war drums over Syria and Iran, it is only a matter of time before the president's actions will impact every one of us. In the words of a member of the peace movement, Women in Black, when asked if she thought her silent protesting would change the minds of people who saw her, this member answered, "Maybe not, but we remind them what is being done in their name has a dark and mournful side."
Gretchen Kamilewicz,
Orr's Island
And a cartoon for the day:
The Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
Focus on the Important
How many people are getting upset with President Bush flying all over wasting time and money pushing the Social Security/Medicare overhaul? The government has always borrowed from the Social Security fund but it never gets paid back, it always falls through the cracks. It's now time to pay this money back. It was borrowed and if it was paid back Social Security would be in excellent condition. ...
It's time our government officials start concentrating on the skyrocketing fuel prices and take care of more important things - like bin Laden. If not, our economy is going to be in serious trouble. If the fuel prices don't get under control the trucking and airline industries are going to collapse and be forced into bankruptcy.
Kenny Prisbrey
Winchester Hills
The Joplin (Missouri) Globe
Weapons of Mass Destruction
I would like to address the letter by Allen Shirley (Globe, March 20). The greatest weapon of mass destruction was not the spider-hole occupant, as Allen put it, but is the man hiding in Afghanistan who succeeded in having thousands of Americans killed on U.S. soil and for some reason that has conveniently been forgotten.
That is not selective blindness, that is fact.
Maybe if our president had taken care of Afghanistan first (which is still "far" from finished) maybe our military wouldn't be spread so thin and maybe a lot more soldiers would be coming home alive. But now we'll never know.
Melinda Jones
Carthage
And another cartoon: