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Source: Pragmatarianism Author: Xerographica Posted on 11.11.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “If the free-market can provide all public goods better than the government can, then is government justified? It’s a cache [sic] 22 though because the only way we can truly know if government is redundant is by getting rid of government. Most would agree this approach is too risky … and since we live in a democracy … we have to take the majority’s opinion into consideration. Rather than one button that would destroy government in one fell swoop … what if all tax payers had a button that when pushed would deprive redundant government organizations of their tax dollars? This is the pragmatarian approach.” (11/10/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/2uc2ofo Filed under: LTE and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Daily Speculations Author: Don Boudreaux Posted on 11.08.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “There are two ways for a government to be ‘pro-business.’ The first way is to avoid interfering in capitalist acts among consenting adults — that is, to keep taxes low, regulations few, and subsidies non-existent. … The second, and very different, way for government to be pro-business is to bestow favors and privileges on politically connected firms.” (11/08/10) Link: http://www.dailyspeculations.com/wordpress/?p=5468 Filed under: LTE and RRND Commentary and Twitter-Worthy | |
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Source: Daily Herald Author: Donald Bekeleski Posted on 08.01.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “Well it’s finally settled. The Second Amendment is as the Founding Fathers wished it to be. Every elected politician swears on the Bible to uphold the Constitution. If they do not uphold it, along with the Second Amendment, they need to be impeached.We owe a great debt of thanks to the four plaintiffs in the Otis McDonald lawsuit, as well as the two corporate plaintiffs: the Illinois State Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation.If you believe in this right granted us by the Second Amendment, consider joining the state rifle association. They put up the finances and the lawyer to win this case. You don’t have to be a gun owner to belong - just believe in freedom!” (07/31/10) Link: http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=397524&src= Filed under: 2AM Commentary and LTE | |
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Source: Standard.net Author: Walter Winters Posted on 04.29.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “Some Utahans are campaigning for a state militia like the militia of the days of our Founding Fathers. There militia had always been universally understood to be a military recruited by private citizens, independent of the established government. It consisted of all able-bodied males, and each was required to personally own firearms (and ammunition) for self-training, be able to defend their lives and property, and be a formidable resistance to government tyranny. The Revolutionary War is a text book example.” (04/28/10) Link: http://www.standard.net/topics/opinion/2010/04/28/militia-may-add-common-defense Filed under: 2AM Commentary and LTE | |
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Source: Cape Cod Online Author: Shep Williams Posted on 04.12.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “I was surprised by your statement, ‘One of the fruitcake arguments spouted by rabid advocates of the Second Amendment is their need to possess weapons to protect themselves from the government’ (Cheers & Jeers, April 2). That is precisely the reason the Bill of Rights is included in the Constitution: to protect us from the government. Who else could restrict our right to speech, assembly, press and about 15 other rights? The Founding Fathers knew despots invariably restricted these rights and called in the weapons once a country was conquered. Those ‘fruitcake arguments’ made sure a despotic administration could not do the same to us. Thank heavens for the ‘rabid advocates’ who wrote our Constitution.” (04/12/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/y2ecp4l Filed under: 2AM Commentary and LTE and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Washingtn Post Author: Hillary Stathes Posted on 03.30.10 by Mary Lou Seymour “George F. Will writes in his March 28 column [”A citizenship birthright? Maybe not.”] that the 14th Amendment should not apply to the children of illegal immigrants born in the United States because “in 1868 there were and never had been any illegal immigrants because no law had ever restricted immigration.” By that reasoning, the Second Amendment should not apply to semiautomatic weapons because in 1789 there were and never had been any semiautomatic weapons and the First Amendment should not apply to communication on the Internet, television or radio because in 1789 there were and never had been any forms of electronic communication. ” (03/29/10) Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/29/AR2010032903461.html Filed under: 2AM Commentary and LTE | |
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Source: Winston-Salem Journal Author: Derrick G. Hinson Sr. Posted on 01.26.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Tax credits (incentives) are not the same as tax cuts. Both serve a purpose. A tax cut decreases the rate at which one is taxed. A tax credit is a benefit paid to select individuals to increase one’s net income. It is another form of income redistribution; the government takes revenue from taxpayers and decides who to favor with perks and benefits in the form of tax credits.” (01/25/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ylmorhh Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Tennessean Author: David Head, MD Posted on 01.26.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “Medical care is bankrupting individuals and the country; one reform goal is to reduce this cost. We spend 50 percent more than our closest competitor, twice as much as most countries. We do not get the best medical care, not even 10th or 20th, but 37th using standard measures.” (01/25/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ykgl54u Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Washington Times Author: Maryann Jask Posted on 01.26.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “The Democrats and the media have put her through hell and destroyed her politically, financially, morally, psychologically and in every other way possible. And you add insult to this woman, who happens to speak plainly, like many of us Americans not of the elite classes.” (01/25/10) Link: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/25/lay-off-palin/ Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Author: Tom O'Connor Posted on 01.24.10 by Thomas L. Knapp “A rash of recent letters to the Post-Dispatch supported the unfettered, fundamental Constitutional right to keep and bear arms (2nd Amendment). One letter suggested that if more people were armed, people might think twice about doing bad things. Curiously, however, the author went on to say: ‘I don’t mean that everyone should be able to carry a gun, just the folks who have applied for a concealed-carry permit and have completed the proper courses.’ Now, I’m confused. Do 2nd Amendment supporters believe in restrictions or not?” (01/21/10) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yz7bbzv Filed under: 2AM Commentary and LTE | |
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Source: Boston Globe Author: Jim Christopher Posted on 01.24.10 by Steve Trinward “With Thursday’s Supreme Court decision to grant corporations the free speech rights of an individual, those same corporations should bare the same responsibilities as an individual. If a corporation commits a crime, those responsible for the decision should bare the punishment. If that means putting the boards of directors in jail, so be it. If it means putting them on death row, so be it. If it means seizing all of their properties in the event of bankruptcy, so be it. If it means following the same bankruptcy laws that individuals are subject to, so be it. If it means going to jail for life by having ‘three strikes,’ so be it. If corporations have the same rights as individuals, then it is about time for them to play by the same set of rules. Perhaps this may end up making the corporations responsible for their actions, just like you and me. Imagine that.” [editor’s note: Of course, by “treating corporations as people” we eliminate just this kind of individual liability and blame, as corporati hide behind their legal fictions and avoid such justice - SAT] (01/25/10) Link: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2010/01/25/by_all_means_lets_treat_companies_as_if_they_were_people/ Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Boston Globe Author: Doug Van Gorder Posted on 12.28.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “I AM a math teacher at Brockton High School, the site of a school shooting earlier this month.Current school security procedures lock down school populations in the event of armed assault. Some advocate abandoning this practice as it holds everyone in place, allowing a shooter easily to find victims.An alternative to lockdown is immediate exodus via announcement. Although this removes potential hostages and makes it nearly impossible for the shooter to acquire preselected targets, it unfairly rewards resourceful children who move to safety off-site more shrewdly and efficiently than others.Schools should level playing fields, not intrinsically reward those more resourceful…..s a progressive, I would sooner lay my child to rest than succumb to the belief that the use of a gun for self-defense is somehow not in itself a gun crime.” (12/28/09) Link: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/letters/articles/2009/12/28/guns_teachers_and_self_defense/ Filed under: 2AM News and LTE | |
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Source: The Oklahoman Author: Jack M. Graves Posted on 12.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., supported the advancement of health care legislation she said she didn’t like. This will result in each American sending $1 to Louisiana. That’s about $60 each for those lucky folks down there who might keep on voting to keep Landrieu in Washington. This is the way it works in Congress.” (11/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yh5vd3m Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Kansas City Star Author: Don Brandes Posted on 12.01.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Hooray. Finally some, but not all, members of Congress realize that they must get spending under control. The big problem is that they are trillions of dollars too late. One has to wonder what the motivation is for this sudden revelation on their part.” (11/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yejcgdh Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Boston Globe Author: Martin Fuller Posted on 11.29.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “I find Sarah Palin refreshingly forthright, contagiously upbeat, bright, energetic, and unapologetically self-assured and composed. A woman like her would make any male a better man. Angry, disillusioned East Coast feminists should take note.” (11/29/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yb4wlg7 Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Cincinnati Enquirer Author: Bill Matthews Posted on 11.29.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Given the federal government’s miserable performance in its monopoly over Medicare, Medicaid and VA Health, extending the federal government’s involvement in the nation’s health care industry is an insane proposal. A more rational approach would be to create competition in the Medicare, Medicaid and VA Health industry by turning those government monopolies over to the management of private sector entities.” Link: http://tinyurl.com/ylb8fme Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: The State Author: J. Leeds Barroll IV Posted on 11.29.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “There are approximately 20 million in their 40s in the United States. The panel stated that one cancer death is prevented for every 1,904 women aged 40-49 who are screened for 10 years. If you divide 20 million by 1,904, it equals 10,504.2 lives saved. Therefore, if we value the lives of 10,504 women in the 40s, then we will continue to recommend that women in their 40s have annual mammograms. The only reason not to do so would be some sort of alien cost-benefit analysis which does not take into account moral considerations.” (11/29/09) Link: http://www.thestate.com/letters/story/1046645.html Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram Author: Con Shuck Posted on 11.29.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Dr. John Crawford’s Nov. 20 letter was a well-written idea. Having politicians live with the rules they set for the rest of us for five years before implementing the change is a fantastic idea. This whole healthcare bill is worthless. I have had it with the politicians living a life of luxury while we, the public, work our tails off to pay taxes so they can live that way.” (11/26/09) Link: http://www.star-telegram.com/244/story/1792436.html Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Sacramento Bee Author: Eric Johnson Posted on 11.29.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “You wouldn’t know it by reading the fawning media coverage of Sarah Palin’s book tour, but the former Alaska governor isn’t as popular as she’s being made out to be. Only 40 percent of the respondents to an October Gallup poll had positive feelings about Palin, her lowest rating since bursting onto the national scene during the 2008 presidential campaign. An astounding 71 percent of those who responded to an October poll by CNN/Opinion Research Corp. thought Palin wasn’t qualified to be president.” (11/28/09) Link: http://www.sacbee.com/326/story/2354026.html Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Author: Adele Kushner Posted on 11.26.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “With all the data about the cost of health care, I want to see an explanation of why our U.S. health care is the most expensive per patient. It isn’t the best — just the most expensive. Perhaps it’s because those other ’socialist’ countries don’t have for-profit systems.” (11/26/09) Link: http://www.ajc.com/opinion/readers-write-11-26-213957.html Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Denver Post Author: Ernest Novey, USAF, Ret. Posted on 11.26.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “The U.S. fails to learn from history. We decided we could do in Southeast Asia what the French were unable to do. It was a hard lesson, resulting in the loss of 58,000-plus lives as well as thousands of damaged ones. Now we criticize our intelligent president for not rushing to a decision concerning Afghanistan, where the Russians fought a 10-year losing war that destroyed their economy and created the Taliban.” (11/26/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yaw6prn Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: San Francisco Chronicle Author: Blair Calhoun Posted on 11.26.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Debra J. Saunders and others seems to be afraid of what ‘mastermind’ Khalid Shaikh Mohammed will say in open court and the possibility that a federal judge will let the suspected terrorist ‘walk’ (’In New York, flanked by lawyers — a scary scenario,’ Nov. 22) Unfortunately, America’s beliefs in freedom, fairness and justice require us to fully embrace the harsh inconvenience of the rule of law.” (11/25/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yhyv4kz Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Washington Times Author: Patrick McGinn Posted on 11.26.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “Our service academies have extremely high entrance standards — academic, physical and medical. A minority high school student meeting these standards is in high demand. Businesses and government agencies ’shaping’ their work forces to resemble the ethnic makeup of society all vie for these minority students — but can the academies compete? The ‘carrot’ dangled by military academies consists of a five-year service commitment after graduation, a starting salary around $45,000, near-certain long-term deployments away from home and family, and the chance of being killed by people who hate us.” (11/25/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ycag2qp Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Author: Deanna Heuermann Posted on 11.26.09 by Thomas L. Knapp “The fact that Eric Holder and the Obama Administration have chosen to bring Khalid Shakh Mohammed and his cohorts to the U.S., New York particularly, to try them for their crimes against the U.S. is a slap in the face to every American and especially the families of the victims of 911.” (11/25/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/y8ld8va Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: The Oak Ridger Author: Fred Childress Posted on 10.30.09 by R. Lee Wrights “Much has been written in the past year about the disastrous impact our recent economic meltdown has had on small business. It is true, small business creates the majority of new jobs in our economy, so as small business goes, so goes employment. There is also no debate that small business shoulders a greater share of regulatory and paperwork burdens. Perhaps it would be reasonable to suggest that government’s first response be to reduce or remove burdensome taxes and regulations.” (10/30/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/yg25e2s Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Tennessean Posted on 10.28.09 by Steve Trinward “Kudos to The Tennessean for having the courage to print a much-needed article on health-care reform, and to give it front-page exposure (“Health insurers’ profits not so fat,” Oct. 26). The administration and the congressional Democrats have demonized the health plan insurance companies as insensitive profit-grabbers…. According to the article, profits barely exceed 2 percent of revenues in the latest annual measure. Both the president and Congress use these ‘excessive’ profits as justification for a public option…. Also worth mentioning is that the nation’s largest health-care provider, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, which insures over 100 million Americans (including 80 percent of federal employees), is essentially a nonprofit entity. So explain to me again why a public option is so necessary? If the insurance companies get any more honest and competitive, they will be driven out of business. Maybe that’s the objective. - Stan Cooper, FRANKLIN 37067″ Link: http://tinyurl.com/yky742y Filed under: LTE | |
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Source: Boston Globe Author: Jeff Jacoby Posted on 10.28.09 by Steve Trinward “The American Booksellers Association loves people who buy books. It loves them so much that it wants to protect them from wicked retailers who sell popular titles at affordable prices. In fact, it wants to protect them from themselves. Consumers, after all, are likely to rejoice at the chance to pick up a bestseller like Stephen King’s Under the Dome or John Grisham’s Ford County for just $9, well below their list price of $35 and $24 respectively. The ABA, a trade group for independent bookstores, is doing all it can to preserve the republic from such pernicious bargains. In a letter to the US Department of Justice last week, the association called for an investigation into the ‘predatory’ behavior of Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, and Target — behavior it said ‘is damaging to the book industry and harmful to consumers.’” (10/28/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ylzs3tw Filed under: CANDi Commentary and LTE and RRND Commentary | |
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Source: Pantagraph Author: Nathan Rennels Posted on 10.14.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “For many years, there has been the constant debate about the gun bans in America. Many dedicated supporters of both sides have influenced the government to either abolish or create new bans on guns.This debate in Chicago will soon come to an end next year, when the Supreme Court rules to either abolish or reinforce the ban on hand guns.”The ban in Chicago currently prevents the sale of all guns in the area. The people of McLean County and Illinois should do all they can to influence the elimination of the gun ban in Chicago.This issue is more than a simple gun control debate. It involves our constitutional rights and whether the government should control those rights.” (10/14/09) Link: http://www.pantagraph.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_14e421c2-b849-11de-a4a2-001cc4c002e0.html Filed under: 2AM Commentary and LTE | |
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Source: Helena Record Author: Jim Walker Posted on 10.14.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “With keen interest I read the letter from Pat Helvey about being uncomfortable because one of the participants at the recent TEA Party openly wore a side arm. Pat, first I’d like to sincerely thank you for attending the rally … I want to assure you that the person you referred to is not a ‘crazy’ as you feared. He is an extremely well-educated, enthusiastic freedom fighter and he knows full well his legal rights and responsibilities. I understand that there are many people that are unaware of safety statistics and almost zero criminal activity committed by those who legally carry firearms. To a great extent, that ignorance exists because it has become uncommon to see a person openly carrying a firearm.” (10/14/09) Link: http://www.helenair.com/news/opinion/readers_alley/article_f0d28210-b87a-11de-9b5b-001cc4c002e0.html Filed under: 2AM Commentary and LTE | |
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Source: Independent Record Author: Kristi Allen-Gailushas Posted on 10.13.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “This letter is in response to Pat Helvey and his opinion titled ‘Check your guns at tea party door.’ The gentleman who was carrying his firearm in the open at the rally was doing so legally. You can open carry in Montana. I could be standing next to you in a grocery store with my sidearm in the open. Would that make you afraid of me? Our Montana legislators can conceal and carry in the state Capitol. Has there ever been a shooting at the Capitol? Have you ever heard of a shooting at a shooting range? American citizens who conceal and carry and carry their weapons in the open are the most law-abiding citizens you could ever meet. The gentleman who was carrying his sidearm out in the open was doing so because it is his right.” (10/13/09) Link: http://tinyurl.com/ygwq6bc Filed under: 2AM Commentary and LTE | |
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Source: Chicago Enterprise Record Author: http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/ci_13542074 Posted on 10.12.09 by Mary Lou Seymour “I’m unsure which case Cynthia Van Auken was referring to in her recent letter to the editor. There are many instances where authorities continually violate civil rights. Property confiscation from alleged criminals not yet prosecuted or convicted, Ruby Ridge and Waco come to mind. Another case I remember involved a man shooting intruders breaking into his home in the middle of the night. After he was also wounded, the perpetrators identified themselves as agents of the ATF.All civil rights are guaranteed by the Second Amendment. This protection gives each citizen the power and tools to protect themselves, not only from criminals, but from allegedly well-intentioned government actions as well. In the cases mentioned above, the authorities acted beyond their powers and outside of legal bounds, and citizens paid the price. If we aren’t cautious, the ultimate price will be all of our rights.Our attention must be on the issues that truly matter, not the inconsequential tabloid fodder. Magicians accomplish their feats through misdirection and sleight of hand. Our government and courts do that through legal maneuvering and directing the populace’s attention to trivial concerns, while dismantling the legal rules and protective regulations, then bailing out corporate criminals who bribed the elected to remove the laws in the first place.Our laws are about protecting each of our rights, not guarantying corporate profits for health insurance, banks or brokerage houses. We mustbe vigilant when it comes to husbanding our country and form of government to insure each citizen has equal protection.” (10/11/09) Link: http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/ci_13542074 Filed under: LTE | |
