Double-Take
Dear Editor:
re: “Something Good to Celebrate”; [Politics and Prejudices, Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2013]
As much as I like to criticize Jack Lessenberry in his political columns (since it is usually based on more opinion than fact), I was stunned that he actually gave George Bush (cringe) credit for starting the auto bailouts. This is a fact that most Liberals ignore.
Michael P. Conti
Roseville, Dec. 1, 2013
The Ship has Sailed
Dear Editor:
Obamacare is now upon us — and was created, then passed, by a Congress that neither wrote nor read the legislation. We just had to pass the bill to find out what was in it, according to Nancy Pelosi.
We are now just starting to find the ugly truth of what is really in it. As the old saying goes, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” The ugliness will become self-evident, so there is no sense dwelling on it. Those who fought hard to have it stopped, defunded and redone in the open, rather than a bureaucratic backroom, have been attacked and vilified as extremists and anarchists. Their correct position will become self-evident as this ugly legislation continues to be unveiled.
There has been a lot of media attention to the canceled health insurance policies and a nonfunctioning website, but there has been zero discussion about cost. The insanity and absurdity of this legislation is right in front of our eyes — if we just open them.
CNN news reports that the administration paid a group of outside contractors $395 million dollars to set up a website that did not work. That was money paid to outside contractors and did not include in-house expenditures by the federal government.
The math gets even more absurd if you consider the total costs associated with the website, which now exceeds $1 billion. That equates to approximately $3 million taxpayer dollars for each individual or $12 million dollars for a family of 4.
Ben Di Ponio
Milford, Dec. 1, 2013
Why, Dammit!
Dear Editor:
re: “Stamping Out Your Right to Know”; [Politics and Prejudices, Nov. 20-26, 2013]
We do indeed need to know who is influencing our politicians. We also should be looking at the low voter turnout that allows for a small representation of the true populace to determine our future.
In the second part of the article, you asked, “What is wrong with a culture where nobody even questions whether you should have a loaded weapon of mass destruction by your front door?”
Your answer to that question was a few paragraphs above, in the statement: “Hours after she wandered off from the crash scene …” The fact that an accident can go unnoticed for that length of time speaks of uneasiness.
The media reports fires, shootings and unspeakable acts that lead to uneasiness every day. When you look outdoors at night, there is a feeling of what might happen rather than a feeling of confidence.
Why?
We have misplaced our priorities. We put our police force out patrolling for speeders. Why not use speed cameras as they do in Europe — freeing the officers to patrol the neighborhoods?
Why not have call boxes — as we did in the past — to give people a way to safely contact help?
Dr. Robert J. Causley
Roseville, Nov. 28, 2013
