Letters to the editor
To the Editor:
As we consider government spending, it is apparent that elected representatives on all levels of government are out of control.
On the federal level, President Bush has shown spending problems from the start. His education bill (No Child Left Behind) is the most expensive in history. His farm bill is the highest-priced ever. His Medicare program is our most costly entitlement. In addition, the war plods on and Katrina happened on his watch. In both terms, President Bush has not vetoed a single spending bill.
Those of you happy to point the finger at a Republican president, realize this. Democratic senators and congressmen are taking advantage of the spending also. Working together, Democrats have blocked tax cuts and rejected spending cuts, rather demanding even higher spending amounts.
Another reason for Congressional lack of thrift is a direct link to public opinion. In a 1990 poll, most Americans said the biggest threat to us as a nation was big government, that the government creates more problems than it solves, that government controls too much of our daily lives. In that poll, 79 percent said smaller government would be more effective than larger government. In response, in the 1990s, California and Colorado legislators wisely established spending caps and governmental growth limitations. Then, reversing themselves in the 2005 election, the people in both of those states voted out those measures.
Do Americans now want government to be "big daddy" and what are some signs? Before FEMA and 1993, no snowstorm had ever been declared a federal disaster. The first four years of the Clinton presidency, 40 winter storms were so declared. In 1996 alone, President Clinton declared 83 federal disasters or emergencies of all sorts. The American people were catching on to FEMA as a candy store.
After Katrina, an uncontrolled flow of FEMA money to the Gulf Coast, by order of President Bush, was mostly appeasement of emotion rather than managed spending. Louisiana's Congressional delegates requested $250 billion for that state alone! This is the equivalent of $56,000 for every person in Louisiana! This was to be above what private insurers, charities, and corporate spending was pouring into the area.
While there are other things and legislative bodies that have contributed to governmental spending glut, the reality is that President Bush alone is responsible to halt the spending. Legislators of both parties are notorious for building empires and serving special interests.
A recent article says that today it is rare to find an elected legislator in Washington, D.C., who even will talk spending restraints. That even so-called conservatives join in the liberal call for using federal power and spending to further "national greatness."
It is said that America will last until its people realize they can vote unto themselves leaders who will give them things.
Wake up people!
Anton Epp
Goessel
To the Editor:
I would like to share with you how the residents in Hope and surrounding area have given generously this holiday season to hurting and needy children around the world. The local drop-off site for Operation Christmas Child, Rosebank Church, collected more than 270 shoe box Christmas gifts.
The gift boxes were filled with small toys, hygiene items, school supplies, and personal notes. These gifts along with more than seven million shoe box gifts will be hand-delivered to children in more than 90 countries. For many children, this will be the first Christmas gift they have received.
On behalf of Operation Christmas Child, I want to express our sincere thanks to all the local residents, churches, and groups who packed shoe box gifts, to the volunteers who helped with the collection, and to Rosebank Church for hosting the collection.
Through their partnership in service, the shoe box gifts will be a source of joy and hope in the life of a child this Christmas season.
Though the Hope drop-off location is closed until November 2006, there still is time to send a gift-filled shoe box to a child overseas.
Gifts are received year-round at Samaritan's Purse, 801 Bamboo Road, Boone NC 28607. For information on packing a shoe box gift, go online to www.samaritanspurse.org or call 1-800-353-5949.
Dorothy Broce, volunteer
Dara Brensing, manager
Operation Christmas Child
