Friday LTEs 08/05/11

Good AM, folks! I hate to sound like a clock puncher, but I'm glad it's Friday. The LTE's are a mixed bag. Sort 'em out.

Financial future
I am outraged at the way elected officials are handling legislation. Without reservation, I will state that we are no longer represented by true legislators. The majority of legislators have become government-control addicts who are more interested in securing a financial future for themselves and government employees than they are in securing a financial future for the United States.

Today the U.S. is over $14 trillion in debt. Continuing to use the baseline budget process that Congress adopted, the U.S. will be over $20 trillion in debt by 2022.

At this time there is only one bill in Congress that will secure the financial future of the U.S. That bill has been introduced by Rep. Connie Mack and is supported by at least 40 more representatives. The bill will freeze spending at the 2011 level and requires a 1 percent reduction in future spending per year. Nothing has been done to eliminate the excessive use of government regulations and mandates.

Simply put, if this trend of excessive spending and overregulation by government is not stopped, The United States will soon be in the same condition as Cuba.

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B. FRANK EVERHART
Winston-Salem

Wonderful pets
Your July 30 story "Meow or woof?" triggered my desire to share some facts about the value of dogs and cats in our lives.

First, I'll truthfully say that on a daily basis, my pets bring me my most joy. They consist of King — the largest German shepherd I've known — and Storm and Bam Bam, my two Thomas cats. Why "Thomas"? They are far too sophisticated to be referred to as tom cats.

Only in recent years have I come to truly know animals, even though I grew up with them.

Often I've observed King lying on the rug trying to sleep when Bam Bam would decide that he wants to play. Bam Bam will move up to King's nose; nudge, rub and meow, trying to get King to respond. Most often, King just disgustedly gets up and moves to another part of the room. However, when King decides he wants to chase the cats, he will run up barking and even place his huge mouth around the cat. He could kill one of the cats in a nanosecond, but he never hurts them.

However, if the cat doesn't want to participate, he will pop King in the nose with his sharp claws — ending the encounter.

To sum up, those who are blessed with the ability to care for pets enjoy the greatest pleasure these gifts from our creator can give. They are truly worth many times over the small amount of expense and effort required to maintain them.

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KEN HAYES
Mocksville

A very serious problem

I do read your Facebook community chatter, and your poll, on page 2 of the Journal, but I rarely participate in them. However, I must respond to your July 28 Facebook poll: "Do you think your kids will like the new healthy choices in their McDonald's Happy Meals?"

The one response that was published: "Yuck. Who wants apples with a burger?"

I must assume she was being funny or sarcastic with her response, considering what I feel is a very serious problem in the U.S. I am in my 50s, and when we were growing up, there was very little obesity in children. Maybe because we only had three channels on TV, no computers, cell phones, and various tweeting gadgets. We ate trans-fats and sugared cereals and various other foods now considered unhealthy. But we ran them off on the playground, after school, on weekends and any other time we could get outside. Why? Because our parents made us go play and run off that excess energy. After supper, we did homework, bathed and slept well.

Maybe parents are the problem today. Everywhere I go, I see overweight parents with overweight children; filling up grocery carts with stuff that goes to fat, even the so-called trans-fats foods, chips, cookies, and the list goes on. Examples set for the children.

My mother was right on two counts: She said, "You are what you eat," and, "Eat to live, don't live to eat."

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PATRICIA STOCKMEISTER
Winston-Salem

Many thanks

Many thanks to former state Rep. Theresa Esposito, state Rep. Dale Folwell, state Sen. Pete Brunstetter and all our legislators who voted for the Women's Right to Know Bill and the "Choose Life" license-plate bill ("Senate trumps Perdue on abortion," July 29).

So many North Carolinians have worked so hard since 1973 to return our state and country to a deeper respect for human life and the dignity of women. The strong leadership of these legislators has finally moved us closer to this goal. Thank you all. Thank you, God, the Creator of all life.

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MARLENE OLENICK
Winston-Salem