YOU CANT PUT A BAND-AID ON IT
Re: David N. Bass’s U.S.
House Cleaning:
Term limits are only a band-aid on the real problem. The problem
is caused by a voting system that keeps two political parties in
perpetual dominance. (See Duverger’s Law.) This Duopoly is
essentially free to nominate any candidate it wants, because to
vote for anyone truly alternative is seen as “a waste” at best,
and counterproductive at worst.
What we really need is a better voting system, one that allows
for more choices (parties/candidates) to compete on even footing,
based purely on ideology and capability of the candidates and not
strategic considerations. It already exists — it’s called
Condorcet’s method. We don’t need artificial and arbitrary term
limits. We just need to make better use of the term limiting
device we already have, namely, the ballot box! If it worked as
intended, the problem would be solved.
When voters have to abandon their conscience to vote “the lesser
of two evils,” you know that the system is broken! Fix its
fundamentals, don’t just slap a band-aid on it.
— Tim
VERY DISTURBING
Re: Edward Sisson’s Pro-Democratic
Bono:
I understand your article to say: In the legal establishment,
there is a significant number of senior, responsible indviduals
who place the political interests of the Democratic party ahead
of the security and welfare of the United States generally in
their priorities.
Is this summary accurate? Because, if so, I find this more
disturbing than the notion that there may be a bunch of junior
associates who are rabidly anti-American.
Kind regards,
— Barney Krebs
PROPERTY OF THE RULING CLASS
Re: George Neumayr’s The
Future’s Shadow:
It’s just a matter of time until organ donation is required.
Perhaps enforced at gunpoint by a Medical Swat team. After all,
isn’t your body a product of government health care? And doesn’t
that trigger a property interest on behalf of Government?
Why should that be such a big surprise? The new ruling class
regards you and me as simply raw material for its Grand Designs.
And it demonstrates it every day.
Forget Soylent Green — we’ll have Soylent Blue Cross any day
now. So let’s not build that fence across the Mexican border. WE
may need a way out, sooner than we think.
— Martin Owens
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Re: Jeffrey Lord’s
Mark Levin Readies Lawsuit on Slaughter Rule:
I sincerely hope this is no joke. This needs to be done; however,
to a greater extent, if the President actually signs the
bill…is this not grounds for impeachment?
— George R. Lentz
THANK YOU
Re: Jeffrey Lord’s
Specter Opens Door on White House Felonies:
Thank you for continuing to conduct actual journalism, following
and pursuing a story so that it does not, in fact, disappear from
the public awareness. You realize, of course, they are expecting
this to go away. I am grateful for your persistence and diligence
in covering this story.
— Ken Newton
I am sitting here after reading the above commentary that drips
with truth. What I can’t understand is why hasn’t any one
conservative individual or collectively like minded individuals
(e.g. TAS or NewsMax, League of American Voters,
American Future Fund, Thomas Moore Law Center, Liberty Council,
Center for Individual Freedom, and a host of talk show
personalities) to name a few, gathered its legal clout and
collective evidence and filed suit in Federal Court? I know it
would take good evidence like turning those Senators and
Congressmen that have experienced the corrupt tactics of the
Administration into solid witnesses. How about Investigative
Reporters (Journalists) who have experienced the blatant lies and
“Stonewalling” tactics by the Administration? Some of them must
certainly want to step up and be true, honest and courageous
Americans. Anyone??
Can’t anyone see what has been prophesied that our Constitution
will hang by a thread in these the “Last of the Last Days.” What
will it take to correct our course?
— Jon C. and Nancy W. Young
BLINDED BY EMPATHY
Re: Manon McKinnon’s
Hollywood’s Other Blind Side:
As progressives, my wife and both found this story to be terrific
in every way, and actually thought very highly of Bullocks
character. I know that it uses a bit of artistic license( the
youth portrayed had already knew how to play football, unlike how
the movie portrayed it).
It can only be a good thing to have more movies like this. And
there should be more of them.
It’s also good to see movies that represents many different
views, whether you agree with them or not.
And I think a lot of why Hollywood tends to be more progressive
than conservative is that actors and actresses tend to be
emotional people. Emotional people tend to empathize with others,
thusly, you have people who use their talents in a way that feels
like you are making a difference.
If more well made movies like this one appear, that’s always a
good thing. But don’t forget, very few people who actually
perform in movies run the studios, the media, the entertainment
conglomerates. The CEO’s and those at that level tend to be more
conservative, so while the employees may be progressive, the ones
who handle the finances are generally conservative (such as
Rupert Murdoch).
— Steven Taub
SORRY, CHARLIE
Re: Neal B. Freeman’s Please
Don’t, Charlie:
Until 2008, I had been a staunch supporter of Gov. Christ, but no
longer. This year I, my family and friends are supporting Marco
Rubio.
The governor has erred on several issues, including:
• Making “back room” deals with the Indian Casinos, bypassing the
state legislature. (Similar to Pelosi/Reid/Obama on health care)
• Making “back room” deals with U.S. Sugar, outside the purview
of his office and, again, excluding the state legislature and the
Water Management District.
• Last, but not least, his back-slapping, glad-handing with Obama
at his Stimulus Stomping Tour in Fort Myers.
No, we will NOT support Christ but we have financially supported
and campaigned for Marco Rubio.
We wouldn’t even vote for his retention in the Governor’s
Office.
— Susan
GETTING WAXED IN THE POLLS
Re: Larry Thornberry’s Crist
Implodes:
Wow. A liberal pollster tells us Marco Rubio is waxing Charlie
Crist — can the news get any better? This November it will be
exciting when Marco Rubio joins the Republican Senate majority to
fight and destroy Obama’s radical Democrat agenda.
For those who still don’t get it, the GOP is the conservative
party in the US. As for RINO’s being an endangered species that
will only be proven when the King of Pork, the “Wild Shrimp
Cowboy” and CPAC straw poll winner Ron Paul goes the way of Harry
Reid and the radical Obama agenda.
— Michael Tomlinson
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
BIG DEAL CROOKS
Re: William Yeatman and Jeremy Lott’s
You Stay Classy, Sacramento:
“… California regulators allow utilities to increase
electricity rates to fund programs that lower energy consumption.
If these programs reduce energy use below targets set by the
state, then the utilities get to keep some of the value of the
saved electricity.”
And I thought the crooks from Enron were all dead or
incarcerated. Call the cops and have them put out an APB on Paul
Krugman.
— Dan Martin
Pittsburgh
TRUE GENTLEMEN
Re: Jonathan Aitken’s
Forgiveness in Hollywood:
Please thank Mr. Aitken!
Lovely essay: in South Africa we seldom see outsiders comprehend
much about truth here in our little country at bottom end of
Africa.
Thanks. I am sending this piece to all my friends.
Note: Mr. Clint Eastwood and Freeman are both gentlemen and
perceptive artists: everyone who met them here during filming
agreed and loved them.
— A. Harrison Smith
Johannesburg
THE FREE RIDERS
Re: William Tucker’s
Bending the Cost Curve — With a Crowbar:
One of the real dilemmas in bending the cost curve is the public
clamor for doing away with pre-existing conditions limitations.
Where this has been done, premiums shoot skyward as a result of
the free rider problem: waiting to buy insurance until you are
actually sick.
There is a reasonably simple way to mitigate this free rider
problem. In the case of continuous coverage (no gap in coverage),
regardless of insurer, there is to be no pre-existing condition
provision. The insured has continuously been in the insurance
pool, and is not a free rider. If there has been a gap in
coverage, there is to be a one year pre-existing condition
provision, so any free rider will have to wait a year until he
can obtain coverage for his condition. When moving from a high
deductible policy to a lower deductible policy, the high
deductible will apply for one year on the replacement coverage
for a pre-existing condition.
Under this scenario, no one would lack coverage for a
pre-existing condition except an irresponsible free rider who has
not remained continuously insured.
There would be no need for the government to require individuals
to insure. There would be a private coverage penalty for those
who waited to purchase insurance based on their free choice to
become or remain uninsured until in need of medical care.
Since pre-existing conditions seem to be the area of highest
concern for most people, this solution would fix the problem for
all responsible people. Plus, my suggestion would allow for
people to move from insurer to insurer to take advantage of the
best deal without fear of losing coverage for pre-existing
conditions.
— Stephen Zierak
Kansas City, Missouri
SHALL NOT?
Re:Jeffrey Lord’s
Repeal: Obamacare as the New Prohibition:
I have read that there is a provision at the end of Harry Reid’s
healthcare bill that says something to the effect that “this bill
will be the law of the land and it shall not be repealed.”
I do not know the exact wording of this part and would be
interested to know if this would prevent the people or future
administrations from cancelling any part of this bill which might
pass.
— B.D. Reynolds
Florida
NOWHERE TO GO
Re: Joseph Shattan’s
The Grasshopper and the Ants:
A very amusing allegory, to be sure. However, there is one
problem: With very few exceptions, the hardest working ants in
our society don’t leave the nest; they have nowhere else to
go.
— D. Reich
Auburn New York
FINDING FOILS
Re: David Gutmann’s
Why the Palestinians Don’t Want a State:
Dr. Gutmann’s article lifts the veil of deceit behind which the
“Palestinian Cause” festers. Facts and common sense, as
illuminated in Gutmann’s article, are a casualty in the Middle
East tragedy of victimhood as virtue. As for the Arab states that
encourage and support the Palestinian Cause, I am sure that if
Israel did not exist, the Islamists would find another foil
against whom to extol their hatred and fear of the modern
world.
— Frank Kelly
New Hyde Park, New York
DO NO HARM
Re: Daniel Oliver’s
Lash and Chain Morality:
For a healthy prescription for an ethical health care system add
Hippocrates’ “First do no harm,” to the sagacious policy of Rabbi
Hillel: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your
neighbor.”
— I.M. Kessel
