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StumbleLETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Problems in this nation run deeper than most imagine
Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010 | 2:01 a.m.
Michael K. Casler made perfect sense Sunday when he said in his letter to the editor that this nation’s two political parties are not addressing the issues. The issues he cited: 1. Stimulus funding that benefits the government rather than private employers who could use tax breaks to create jobs; 2. Unfunded overseas spending on two wars and endless foreign aid; 3. Salaries and benefits for a glut of government employees; 4. No immigration policy; and 5. No proposed fix for Social Security. These are failings by both Democrats and Republicans, but few people will acknowledge this because they are, above all, loyal to their party. The Titanic is about to sink, and all we have is infighting among the captain and his crew. But things are actually even worse. Here are some additional issues to add to Casler’s list: 1. Adhering to detrimental drug and gun policies that have led to a civil war in Mexico, resulting in 28,000 murders since 2006 (almost 10 times the number of people who died in the 9/11 attacks); 2. Enacting health care reform that primarily benefited health insurance companies by raising the cost of coverage for all employers; 3. Incarcerating a larger percentage of our population than any other country; 4. A disintegrating infrastructure; 5. A failing education system; 6. Our continued addiction to foreign oil that bankrupts us and enriches those who want to kill us; 7. A continuing failure to consistently balance the budget, which has resulted in 45 percent of every tax dollar being used solely to pay interest; and 8. Politicians who devote 95 percent of their time to getting re-elected and 5 percent to governing. I’m sure there are plenty more examples. We need a strong candidate to start a new political party in this country. I don’t know Michael Casler, but if he runs for office, he has my vote.Discussion: 2 comments so far…
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You forgot to mention, that while the infighting was going on among the Titanic's captain and crew, the passengers were obivious...still dancing, still partying.
People who can list all of our problems don't make good candidates for public office. The one's that provide solutions do.
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Not Another Party
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New candidates, yes, however. Drop McCain and Kyle, for an example
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Dump Bohener and McConnell ....
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These persons repeat and support the same old policies hour after hour and as now seen do not work for America but hurt this country
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Otherwise, a positive letter
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Take big money out of elections ... make a law that says how much money can be spent total, in each district .... and then for each state for Senate runs and so on and so forth
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But, our right wingers on the Supreme Court ruled that all the money in the world can be spend on elections from and by anybody including corportations
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Is Paris Hilton supporting Drug Cartels?
I especially agree with the writer's point number 8. I am amazed that American politicians, from the President right on down the line, spend so much of their time raising money and campaigning, leaving the job they were elected to do as just a sideline.
In response to the comments by Albert Marquis to my letter to the editor:
First thanks for the kind words but I have no plans to start a third party or run for office.
It took me years to figure it out but I now understand that our biggest problem is Congress. We have allowed being a Senator or Member of the House to become a very lucrative 'career' that commands much power, prestige and opportunity. The people that hold these postions for awhile do what they need to do to stay in office. Unfortunately, that means doing what powerful interest groups want, so they can get the money neccessary to be re-elected. Our Congress (the branch that makes all our laws and spends all our tax money) is broken and how it is broken cannot be 'fixed' by electing Democrats, or Republicans or by setting up a third party.
We (Americans) broke our system when we abdicated our responsibility to participate in our own government. We should never have allowed serving in Congress to become a 'career'. One 6 year term for Senators and a maximum of 3 terms for a House member should be it. We either ought to make that a law (like 2 terms for the President) or better yet, simply elect someone new after our Senator or House member has served a term of two.
We desperately need our members of Congress to be less influenced by powerful interests in an effort to be re-elected and more invested in doing what is right. We cannot accomplish that with people who have a vested interest in their 'career' in Congress, such as John McCain, Nancy Pelosi, Mitch McConnell, Harry Reid - just to name a few.
Vote Democrat or Republican - I really don't care, but realize that when you re-elect the same person over and over again, they will eventually (and usually soon) view their position as a 'career', to be protected by doing whatever is necessary to stay in office. As long as the powerful interests with paid lobbyists in Washington DC know this, we will continue to get government by powerful interests, for powerful interests.
Your party will tell you 'it ain't so', but it is so - with both parties, as long as we have 'careerists' as our Representatives in Congress.
Michael K. Casler
Albert G Marquis.
I think you have done an excellent job of describing a dying democracy. Rome wasn't destroyed in a day. Give us a little more time and we too can achieve what Rome did.
Albert G. Marquis is writing a propaganda letter supporting Michael K. Casler. Casler has written a number of letters to the Sun that always supports the radical extremist, miserable failure Un-traditional republicans.
Do you remember the lead up to the Iraq War? Covert president cheney leaked information to the New York Times, then later on that same day on a news interview he quoted the NYT's as a source.
Marguis and Casler are working in cahoots with each other, and that is very obvious.
The Radical extremist miserable failure non-traditional republicans and their minions have adopted the "14 points of Fascism" as their guiding light and the Nazi propaganda techniques of Herr Hitler and Herr Goebbels.
Those techniques are
1. Name Calling
2. Glittering Generalities
3. Transfer
4. Testimonial
5. Plain Folks
6. Card Stacking
7. Band Wagon
If you want to know which propaganda technique Marquis is using , just type each one of these techniques into your search bar, or type "propaganda techniques of German fascism" or "Institute for Propaganda Analysis.
"
As you have noticed on a daily basis the radical extremist non-traditional republican bloggers post lies, even preposterous lies, and repeat them over and over to brainwash the Nevada citizens.
Are these "Things" our fellow Nevadans?
Why would they do such a thing?
Do they have respect for their fellow Nevadans?
Do they want their fellow Nevadans to know the truth?
Why do these "Things" have no "SHAME."
I refused to give up on "the last best hope on earth ". The solution to our problems is not to the right of republicans but the left of Democrats. Perhaps the tea party is the "last Throes" of the corporate dragon we're slaying.
Michael Casler forgets the fact that the
majority of Americans voted for Barack Obama
to fix the huge mess George Bush and the
republicans made.
He is doing EXACTLT THAT.
The problems are huge.
It takes time.
The only thing we need to do is to kick the
crazy teabaggers to the curb.