New programs aren’t socialism
Propaganda extremists have persuaded too many that the current administration’s program is socialist. Socialism requires federal ownership of the basic means of production and distribution. Neither this administration nor any office holder of either party favors government takeover of our industry.
For those who claim that Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare are socialist, where is the hue and cry for their repeal? Health care falls in this same category, with government and citizen participation for the benefit of all, legislation designed to protect citizens from malpractice and to allow those denied insurance an opportunity to secure protection for themselves and their families.
Bush’s tax relief for the richest had no impact on job creation when this country was losing nearly 800,000 jobs a month in his administration, is having no effect now and never will. Yet this issue is being used to block legislation. Republican leadership rebuffed the president’s invitation to meet, choosing instead to attend a partisan political event.
Most recently Sen. Jon Kyle may place the entire planet in suspense by holding the New START treaty hostage in the Senate, supported unanimously by America’s military leadership, every past Republican secretary of state and defense and state officials of both parties.
In all of these situations, power politics has been placed ahead of country.
JOHN BRATTON
Sewanee, Tenn.
Editorial cartoon brings shame
My family has subscribed to the Chattanooga Times forever; in fact my father delivered the Chattanooga News before Roy McDonald bought it in 1939. I’ve never written a letter to the editor before, but as a retired veteran, I find the editorial cartoon in the Dec. 1 issue, to be deeply offensive to all non-gay military men and women.
You present two U.S. Army soldiers, one a squared away troop standing at parade rest labeled “Gays” and the other one out of uniform with one boot unlaced, the other in disrepair, one pant leg unbloused, uneven gig line, hair out of standards, as well as being snuggle tooth (we do have military dentists, you know). This soldier is depicted as referring to the other and saying “It’s either him or me.” To add insult to injury, this unkept solider is labeled “Bigots” and therefore unfairly depicts the majority of men and women in uniform as being in this category.
The vast majority of personnel I served with had no problem with this issue. It’s also important to remember that soldiers follow orders, and a majority of the time these orders originate with people who do not wear uniforms.
I am ashamed of my newspaper.
BILL NEIGHBORS JR.
Soddy-Daisy
To Mr. Bill Neighbors Jr from Soddy-Daisy; first of all thank you for serving our country. You are deeply appreciated. I completely agree with your assessment on the cartoon mentioned. But then Mr. Drawboy Clay Bennett represents that perspective which claims to be balanced and is so only to the dictates of political correctness. That is joke-balance. I have a son who is currently in the military. If I showed the cartoon you mentioned to him, he would be embarrassed, disgusted and likely urge me to stop getting this newspaper. But the Clay Bennetts of our world do not care. They just draw away. Never mind their lumping together all non-gay military persons is as Bigoted is just as bigoted as anyone who generalizes about persons without knowing the individuals. We continue in a cultural war and honestly the heart of this nation is being ripped out! But Clay gets paid no matter what happens by the newspaper you and I support. That is sad!
Bennett is a coward who sits behind his desk with his paper and crayons.
Hey Clay, why don't you come to a Tea Party gathering sometime and tell them how stupid they are to their face?
In all fairness, I was surprised at first. But if you think about it, the unkempt soldier represents bigots, not all soldiers. The idea is that a good soldier can be rejected simply for being gay; the other attributes don't matter.
This would not be the first time that Mr. Bennett's cartoons gave a first impression that wasn't intended. The Christian Fish symbol turned into a shark was another. Many readers NEVER got it, but many did only after some thought. All of us need to think carefully about what the cartoon is trying to say, rather than taking offense immediately. (this goes for all political cartoons, not just Bennett's.)
Thank you, Mr. Bratton, for a succinct and accurate assessment of the relevance of tax cuts for the rich. They didn't help the economy when enacted, and extending them won't help us now. Tax cuts for the rich is mindless pandering to those who got their money on the backs of middle-class working men and women. Keep tax cuts for the middle class and raise rates for those who have already skimmed all the cream they can get out of the American economic system.
This is an area that protested "The Far Side " cartoons.Did anyone really think they would understand this cartoon?Mob mentality rules in these parts...if you don't like the Bennett cartoons don't read them.It is that simple.But,to call him a coward....I think not Rivieravol..at least he signs his real name.
We are fortunate to have concerned, informed, and active citizens so well exemplified by John Bratton articulating a social consciousness that affirms the ideals of representative government.
Mr. Bratton's letter amuses me. He defends Obama's regime as "not socialist" all while championing Marx's ideology. If no one favors take over of industry, why did he do it to several banks, the student loan industry, the healthcare industry, and two major car companies? If he thinks people aren't clamoring for a repeal of medicare, medicaid, and social security then he either isn't listening or lives under a rock. The older generation should be allowed to collect these programs because they paid in their whole lives. Young people like me, however, (who understand that social security will be broke long before I can collect it) would disenroll so fast it would make Obama's head spin. There is NOTHING I would like better than to keep my money and invest it as I see fit for my own retirement. As for tax cuts? You can't get one if you don't pay taxes. The bottom 48% of wage earners don't pay federal income tax. (It's all at www.irs.gov if you don't believe me). Most people who earn over $250,000 are small business owners who have to report the entirety of their business income as their own even though they only get to keep a small chunk of that. Raising taxes on them only hurts their business and cripples their ability to hire or expand. Bush's tax cuts helped everyone who paid taxes. If they are not extended my husband and I will owe another $2,000 in 2011 that we will not pay in 2010. The kicker? We don't even earn over $100k, much less $250k.
'From each according to his ability, to each according to his need' is a fundamentally Marxist idea. If you believe in that, then you believe in socialism. Before you spout off about how things aren't socialist you should do a little reading into the topic. I suggest The Communist Manifesto as a good place to start. Although no doubt Mr. Bratton would agree with the book.
My perspective on the cartoon by Clay Bennett is different from Mr. Neighbors. It seems that on one side, he has drawn a prototype of the perfect soldier who could pass any inspection with high marks. In contrast, there is an unkempt, prejudice slob who looks like he would not make it through basic training. Yet in the military today, it is the gay soldier who could be discharged for telling the truth about his sexual orientation, rather than the bigot for proclaiming his prejudice. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" makes it more honorable to be a bigot than an honest man or woman. Sad.
I just have one question for those still supporting the republicons -- if the bush tax cuts and deregulation worked out so well, why did we end up in a recession surrounded by record breaking deficits because of it?
Those advocates of "sharing the wealth" and taxing business and successful individuals should study the fall of the British empire. Their currency was based on silver and was the world currency as the dollar is now. Their demise came when they became heavily in debt and continued creating money no longer backed by sterling. Their agenda was to "spread the wealth". They did so by taxing those with an accumulation of wealth until they no longer had incentive to create more wealth.
Perhaps our congress should study the British history, the rise and fall of the Roman empire and others to see how we are following the same path. When the dollar ceases to be the world currency the U.S. will not be a world power. It is proposed by the IMF and others that the dollar be replaced by a basket of currencies. China, Russia, India and France have met without the U.S. participating to see how to go about making this happen. Some countries are not accepting dollars as payment now, what happens when our credit rating is lowered?
The current debt could not be paid if the government seized the wages of every American, 100% of their wages and still the debt is not paid. The solution is massive inflation and it is starting already and the printing of money will keep it going to unprecedented levels and reducing or essentially eliminating the buying power of a high percent of the population.
This is not what people want to hear so they will deny it, they don't think it can happen here. It is not normal so it is not acceptable to think it can happen, it never has we have always come back from economic down turns like this. However, this is not a normal down turn and it is not the same as prior economic blips. We don't have an elected official willing to do what is necessary or that could withstand the repercussions of and by the people.
Socialism fails every time and yet they wish to try it out again.
Perhaps the height of insensitivity is calling those who object to homosexual behavior "bigots." Until there is proof otherwise, it is a choice....and we are not obligated to accept that choice. If it is proven to be some natural biological error, then it still begs the question why one is a bigot for not accepting it. Nature has us hard-wired to be attracted to members of the opposite sex to ensure the survival of the species. Just because a wire gets crossed and one person does not have that attraction, he can't assume the rest of us also have that wire crossed. Rather, we are born with a natural inability to be attracted to members of the same sex. This is not cured with "education."
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