The other day I made a contribution to a political candidate I consider a patriot. A patriot places duty, honor and country at the top.
We have had many patriotic political leaders. The Founding Fathers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, were certainly the first. Abraham Lincoln may be the finest. In my time, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, to name a few.
At the other extreme are totally self-centered, power-driven, unscrupulous politicos, like Lyndon B. Johnson, who spent all his life in politics and died a multi-millionaire. Jimmy Carter spent his time working on his Nobel Peace prize. The Clintons are perpetual international political celebrities.
What I expect for my contribution is security, freedom and justice. What the United Auto Workers got for their tens of millions of contributions is completely paid-up-for-life pensions and health care and 17.5 percent of General Motors.
Yes, you can buy a politician. In other countries this is called bribery and corruption. We have come to see this as the way of life.
What can we do? Nothing. I will probably just make another contribution and play the game.
ROBERT D. SIDNAM Millers Creek
"Clearing things up"
I think it's about time someone cleared a few things up for your liberal readers.
When President Obama refuses to allow access to his college records — even though no presidential candidate in the last 30 years has — it proves that he has something to hide. But when Mitt Romney refuses to release more than one year's worth of tax returns — even though every presidential candidate in the last 30 years has released multiple years' returns — that proves that he has nothing to hide.
When Obama said, "The private sector is doing fine," that's proof of how out of touch he is. But when Romney said, "Big business is doing fine in many places," that's proof of his business acumen.
When the press printed classified information exposed by WikiLeaks, that was proof that the mainstream media hates America. But when Fox News revealed the name of the Navy SEAL who wrote the book "No Easy Day," risking military security, that proves how patriotic the network is.
When Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans, it was proof that God was upset with liberals' sinful way of life. But when Tropical Storm Isaac disrupted the GOP Convention in Tampa, that's just evidence that nature is random.
To sum up: Everything liberals do is bad, but everything conservatives do is good. I hope this settles the matter.
BILLY C. MEADOWS Winston-Salem
"Most important election"
I am an independent voter and have voted for 49 years so far, but this is the most important election that I will have ever voted in.
In my lifetime I have watched the national Democratic Party become a putrid infection in our national life. It has become a Machiavellian group of liars, scoundrels and traitors who care more about the Democratic Party than our country. I know most local Democratic politicians are good men, but the national party is so sick it's not worth saving.
The Republican Party is also sick, but I believe it can be saved by a big dose of tea party, which can drive out the RINOs and traitors to our country, which have infected the party.
If voters have no clue as to what's going on in politics and government policy, or if they are voting Democratic or Republican because grandpappy did, then they should do their country a favor and stay home on Election Day. Our country is at a crossroads. In this election we will determine if the promise and greatness of America will live on or if we will lose our freedom forever to a perverse idea of fairness.
Respond to letters@wsjournal.com and put "Sum It Up" in the subject header. Only signed entries, please — no anonymous ones. Briefer responses receive preference in print.
Letters: "Fatherlessness"
In response to the Aug. 26 column "Black boys are dying young and needlessly" by Fannie Flono of the Charlotte Observer, while noting that New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is rightly taking on this "epidemic," the issue is not guns, it is fatherlessness.
When a young man (regardless of the hue of his skin) chooses to father a child and then chooses to remain physically, emotionally and spiritually absent from the home, the young child gets cheated of a critically important manly influence in their lives.
Please interview the incarcerated. The problem is not guns, it is fatherlessness.
LTE #1 - Mr. Sidnam seems to have some funny ideas about patriotism.
Washington - ✔ Revolutionary War Jefferson - ✔ Declaration of Independence, etc Franklin - ✔ Persuaded the French to help, essential, Revolutionary War Lincoln - ✔ Commander in Chief, Civil War, saved the Union Eisenhower - ✔ US Army WW II Kennedy - ✔ USN WW II Johnson - ✔ USN, WW II Carter - ✔ USN WW II Reagan - ✘ Draft dodger GWH Bush - ✔ USN WW II - at the time, the youngest naval aviator Clinton - ✘ Draft dodger GW Bush - ✘ Draft dodger
LTE #2 - Some good points, but it takes a better writer than Mr. Meadows to pull off what he's trying to do here.
No presidential candidate has ever released their school records…not just the last 30 years.
LTE #3 - Another PeePee Party loony. The Sons of Liberty would vomit at having the name of their greatest triumph appropriated by such a bunch of clowns.
Every election is the most important election that we have ever voted in. And we are always at the crossroads, which is a big part of our problem.
The vast majority of voters have no clue, so if they followed Mr. Booth's suggestion, we would have primary level turnouts every election.
Sum It Up - No.
Have to feel sorry for a once brilliant man, Clint Eastwood, who clearly has lost it. The smart advisers tried to talk Romney out of that stunt, to no avail. A lot of cringing backstage by Romney people.
LTE #4 - Fatherlessness is a huge problem in the black community, but the issue is nowhere near as simple as Mr. Roberts makes it seem.
If there were no guns at all, the vast majority of those who have been killed by guns would still be alive. The gun nuts have no idea how difficult it is to kill someone with your bare hands. Those of us who have taken the USMC "unarmed combat" course are.
Some of those of us who had invested in RJR Tobacco know all about "leveraged buyouts", having watched helplessly while Ross Johnson and Kohlberg, Kravis raped the company. There is an excellent book, Barbarians at the Gates, which describes in detail the savage greed that ruined a great company, but few have read it. In 20 years, RJR's work force went from nearly 30,000 to a mere 2,500 or so. Part of that is because of the war on tobacco, but not nearly all of it.
"Barbarian" certainly is an apt description of both KK and Bain Capital.
Even the companies that Bain/Romney love to brag about as great success stories are in reality national disasters. Staples, Sports Authority, Domino's, Bright Horizons…like Wal*Mart, they all ran hundreds of small, locally owned businesses out of business, taking money out of local economies and leaving thousands of workers unemployed.
The many fewer replacement jobs do not pay anywhere near what the destroyed jobs did. "Sales associates" at Staples make $8.49 per hour. Try supporting yourself, much less a family, on that. The Sports Authority is far more generous. They overpay their "sales associates" at the fancy rate of $8.96 per hour. Bright Horizons pays their teachers $12.94 per hour, barely a third of what public school teachers make.
But the worst is the flagship, Domino's. Their delivery drivers make $7.66 per hour and must buy their own gas. After Bain took over, they added a "delivery fee" to every order. Most customers think that the fee goes to the drivers, so do not tip them. Of course, most of the fee goes to the franchisee.
The same can be said for almost all of the Bain companies…millionaire's feeding off the people.
"Patriots"
ReplyDeleteThe other day I made a contribution to a political candidate I consider a patriot. A patriot places duty, honor and country at the top.
We have had many patriotic political leaders. The Founding Fathers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, were certainly the first. Abraham Lincoln may be the finest. In my time, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, to name a few.
At the other extreme are totally self-centered, power-driven, unscrupulous politicos, like Lyndon B. Johnson, who spent all his life in politics and died a multi-millionaire. Jimmy Carter spent his time working on his Nobel Peace prize. The Clintons are perpetual international political celebrities.
What I expect for my contribution is security, freedom and justice. What the United Auto Workers got for their tens of millions of contributions is completely paid-up-for-life pensions and health care and 17.5 percent of General Motors.
Yes, you can buy a politician. In other countries this is called bribery and corruption. We have come to see this as the way of life.
What can we do? Nothing. I will probably just make another contribution and play the game.
ROBERT D. SIDNAM
Millers Creek
"Clearing things up"
I think it's about time someone cleared a few things up for your liberal readers.
When President Obama refuses to allow access to his college records — even though no presidential candidate in the last 30 years has — it proves that he has something to hide. But when Mitt Romney refuses to release more than one year's worth of tax returns — even though every presidential candidate in the last 30 years has released multiple years' returns — that proves that he has nothing to hide.
When Obama said, "The private sector is doing fine," that's proof of how out of touch he is. But when Romney said, "Big business is doing fine in many places," that's proof of his business acumen.
When the press printed classified information exposed by WikiLeaks, that was proof that the mainstream media hates America. But when Fox News revealed the name of the Navy SEAL who wrote the book "No Easy Day," risking military security, that proves how patriotic the network is.
When Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans, it was proof that God was upset with liberals' sinful way of life. But when Tropical Storm Isaac disrupted the GOP Convention in Tampa, that's just evidence that nature is random.
To sum up: Everything liberals do is bad, but everything conservatives do is good. I hope this settles the matter.
BILLY C. MEADOWS
Winston-Salem
"Most important election"
I am an independent voter and have voted for 49 years so far, but this is the most important election that I will have ever voted in.
In my lifetime I have watched the national Democratic Party become a putrid infection in our national life. It has become a Machiavellian group of liars, scoundrels and traitors who care more about the Democratic Party than our country. I know most local Democratic politicians are good men, but the national party is so sick it's not worth saving.
The Republican Party is also sick, but I believe it can be saved by a big dose of tea party, which can drive out the RINOs and traitors to our country, which have infected the party.
If voters have no clue as to what's going on in politics and government policy, or if they are voting Democratic or Republican because grandpappy did, then they should do their country a favor and stay home on Election Day. Our country is at a crossroads. In this election we will determine if the promise and greatness of America will live on or if we will lose our freedom forever to a perverse idea of fairness.
KINGSLEY C. BOOTH
Sparta
Sum It Up
DeleteWas the Republican National Convention a success?
Respond to letters@wsjournal.com and put "Sum It Up" in the subject header. Only signed entries, please — no anonymous ones. Briefer responses receive preference in print.
Letters: "Fatherlessness"
In response to the Aug. 26 column "Black boys are dying young and needlessly" by Fannie Flono of the Charlotte Observer, while noting that New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is rightly taking on this "epidemic," the issue is not guns, it is fatherlessness.
When a young man (regardless of the hue of his skin) chooses to father a child and then chooses to remain physically, emotionally and spiritually absent from the home, the young child gets cheated of a critically important manly influence in their lives.
Please interview the incarcerated. The problem is not guns, it is fatherlessness.
GARY H. ROBERTS JR.
Winston-Salem
LTE #1 - Mr. Sidnam seems to have some funny ideas about patriotism.
ReplyDeleteWashington - ✔ Revolutionary War
Jefferson - ✔ Declaration of Independence, etc
Franklin - ✔ Persuaded the French to help, essential, Revolutionary War
Lincoln - ✔ Commander in Chief, Civil War, saved the Union
Eisenhower - ✔ US Army WW II
Kennedy - ✔ USN WW II
Johnson - ✔ USN, WW II
Carter - ✔ USN WW II
Reagan - ✘ Draft dodger
GWH Bush - ✔ USN WW II - at the time, the youngest naval aviator
Clinton - ✘ Draft dodger
GW Bush - ✘ Draft dodger
LTE #2 - Some good points, but it takes a better writer than Mr. Meadows to pull off what he's trying to do here.
No presidential candidate has ever released their school records…not just the last 30 years.
LTE #3 - Another PeePee Party loony. The Sons of Liberty would vomit at having the name of their greatest triumph appropriated by such a bunch of clowns.
Every election is the most important election that we have ever voted in. And we are always at the crossroads, which is a big part of our problem.
The vast majority of voters have no clue, so if they followed Mr. Booth's suggestion, we would have primary level turnouts every election.
Sum It Up - No.
Have to feel sorry for a once brilliant man, Clint Eastwood, who clearly has lost it. The smart advisers tried to talk Romney out of that stunt, to no avail. A lot of cringing backstage by Romney people.
LTE #4 - Fatherlessness is a huge problem in the black community, but the issue is nowhere near as simple as Mr. Roberts makes it seem.
If there were no guns at all, the vast majority of those who have been killed by guns would still be alive. The gun nuts have no idea how difficult it is to kill someone with your bare hands. Those of us who have taken the USMC "unarmed combat" course are.
Oh please. There's a very simple technique to kill someone with just your bare hands in about four or five seconds. You're a moron Rush.
DeleteYou never can resist the temptation to make a fool of yourself, can you?
Of course, that should be GHW Bush.
ReplyDeleteO.T., if you haven't seen this, I think you will find it very interesting.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/greed-and-debt-the-true-story-of-mitt-romney-and-bain-capital-20120829
Thanks, Wordly, I hadn't seen it.
ReplyDeleteA terrific piece, which ought to be widely read, but I'm afraid that it is too long and complicated for the 2012 attention span.
Here's the clickable link: The Bain of Our Existence
Some of those of us who had invested in RJR Tobacco know all about "leveraged buyouts", having watched helplessly while Ross Johnson and Kohlberg, Kravis raped the company. There is an excellent book, Barbarians at the Gates, which describes in detail the savage greed that ruined a great company, but few have read it. In 20 years, RJR's work force went from nearly 30,000 to a mere 2,500 or so. Part of that is because of the war on tobacco, but not nearly all of it.
"Barbarian" certainly is an apt description of both KK and Bain Capital.
Even the companies that Bain/Romney love to brag about as great success stories are in reality national disasters. Staples, Sports Authority, Domino's, Bright Horizons…like Wal*Mart, they all ran hundreds of small, locally owned businesses out of business, taking money out of local economies and leaving thousands of workers unemployed.
The many fewer replacement jobs do not pay anywhere near what the destroyed jobs did. "Sales associates" at Staples make $8.49 per hour. Try supporting yourself, much less a family, on that. The Sports Authority is far more generous. They overpay their "sales associates" at the fancy rate of $8.96 per hour. Bright Horizons pays their teachers $12.94 per hour, barely a third of what public school teachers make.
But the worst is the flagship, Domino's. Their delivery drivers make $7.66 per hour and must buy their own gas. After Bain took over, they added a "delivery fee" to every order. Most customers think that the fee goes to the drivers, so do not tip them. Of course, most of the fee goes to the franchisee.
The same can be said for almost all of the Bain companies…millionaire's feeding off the people.