Letters to the Editor 10-06-1998
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Government Overload - Creationism - Clinton - Remembering Flowers - Remembering Taylor
Government Overload
Editor, Times-Union:I have voted, I have written my congressmen, and I have phoned them but to no avail. I have witnessed the government take over the medical profession and our schools. They dominate every facet of our daily lives by the amount of taxes they impose. They make a constant attack on our right to keep and bear arms and if we are not careful they will eventually disarm us. It happened in Australia. They try to tell us if and where we can smoke, that we have to wear seat belts in our cars, etc. The list goes on and on. They tell us that family is important but they tax us to the extent that one member of the family has to work to support the family and the other has to work to pay taxes. My oldest son with four children has to pay over $400 this year for school book rental. When I was in school we bought our books from the class ahead of us for $1 or less, depending on the condition of the book. All together my wife and I spent less than $1,500 on the births of all four of our children and that was without insurance. My son spent more than that on his first child and he was covered by insurance. This is what government meddling in the schools and medical profession has done for us.
The government in its infinite wisdom is taking billions of dollars away from hard working citizens to support what it calls a "War on Drugs." This miserably failed program does nothing more than take money from the taxpayer and give it to a bunch of self-serving bureaucrats. It makes a weed that grows wild in this area one of the top cash crops in the U.S. It makes criminals out of young people and keeps organized crime in business. It fills jails with people whose only crime is against their own bodies. Now they tell us we need to spend more money for more prisons. In the name of the "War on Drugs" they are defiling the Constitution of this country. Thomas Jefferson would roll over in his grave if he saw U.S. Government agents kicking people's doors down and seizing their property without a court order. Don't think this can't happen to you. If one of your kids is hiding illegal drugs in his bedroom your door may be next.
We do not have to put up with this kind of government but we don't have forever to change it either. If you want your grandchildren to live in a socialist country then keep on voting Democrat or Republican because that is where they are taking us. If you want your children and grandchildren to be responsible for their own lives then do what I am going to do. Vote Libertarian.
Charles Carnes, Warsaw
Creationism
Editor, Times-Union:As the debate over creation and evolution goes on I feel we may be missing one of the most important elements in evaluating the true nature of what each belief has to offer. I, in my own words am attempting to describe what kind of life each belief would offer if it was in fact the way it really was.
If I were a firm believer in evolution my life and what I would consider important would not be measured by my compassion, love, honesty, fair play, or any desire to benefit mankind but my ability to own, possess, control, or manipulate my surrounding for personal gain. I in short would be evaluated by the amount of money I have, the things I have to give me pleasure, or anything I could do to give myself pleasure. This premise is based on the fact that there is no code of proper behavior, no moral issues to adhere to, only self gratification, and because there is no life after death only the present is important. There would be no or little love because we would need to be concerned only with ourselves. A new conquest of love each night would be accepted because emotions or emotional ties would be of no consequence to us. Why would we obey any laws? Why would we plan for the future if was are living for today? Does evolution mean we do not need to honor our parents or be concerned about our children or even admit we have any children? Does it mean we can turn our back on responsibility? Would I be appalled by abortion or just turn my head with no concern over the millions of children who never got the chance to take a single breath?
I could go on forever about this but in preparing this letter I have been personally struck by the realization that this describes a large part of our society. The lack of concern for others, the disrespect we show each other, the millions of unborn babies who perish every day, and the attitude that "I" am number 1, me first. Not to mention the total disregard that there is a God who created us, but I don't believe in God if I believe in evolution.
We can get caught up in the argument over fossils and dinosaurs and how old the earth is and the origin of the universe, but I feel it is so easy to miss the true message of creation. The next time you hear the debate over creation and evolution stop and think what kind of life and lifestyle each offers you and then ask yourself which one gives you hope when you feel hopeless, a friend when you need someone to listen, love when you feel unloved, compassion when you're hurting, and a creator who was tempted just as you are and a heavenly home that you cannot even imagine. Give me a person with no hope and they are already defeated, give me a person with hope and anything is possible.
Larry Hunter, Akron
Editor's Note: This letter was edited to conform more closely to the 500-word limit stated in the Times-Union letters policy.
Clinton
Editor, Times-Union:"It ain't necessarily true" that your claim to be out of step with the polls is correct. There are many reasons people avoid saying that we should impeach William Jefferson Clinton.
One reason to not impeach him is that by so doing we put Vice President Gore in the presidency and all thoughtful people realize that Gore is quietly, more dangerous because he knows how to be deceitful quietly in his drive to enlarge the federal government and impose socialism upon this country even as we see how USSR was destroyed by socialism.
So the "impeach Clinton" topic, like most of life's bad decisions, is not simply which is worse? We've been skillfully entrapped.
Basically the real decision that should be argued is how much socialism can USA handle without being devastated? Have we already passed the "Endangered Species" threshold beyond which there is no recovery or can we, like Sweden and Norway, reverse the giveaways that buy votes and stop destruction of our republic form of votes controlled government?
Decisions like this show up in our daily papers too. In today's paper is a headline that has perhaps unintended overtones. "City OK's Water Budget." $2,626,191 was approved but it was stated that this was "funded out of receipts and not tax dollars." (Sounds like a Goreism!)
But since United Water provides the city with treated water, how come the city is budgeting two and a quarter million dollars for water treatment? Have I missed something?
My water bills still come from United. Is the city treating sewage based upon the amount of water consumed?
Are we being "Goreized" right here by the demands of a non-existent city water plant? Or is this just a typo mistake?
Incidently, aside from sewage and taxes, what income does this town have? If over a million can be pulled out of the magicians hat, how did it get there without taxation? Is a fee based upon sewage or other universally used service really not a tax?
I weigh heavily the negative effect Bill Clinton's personal life and "In-Credibility" or uncredibility dark shadows cast on the rest of the world and how such hurts what the Statue of Liberty stands for and what 95 percent of America stands for.
Forgiveness is no longer an argument. The old axiom: "For the first mistake I can blame the other person but if it happens again I must blame myself." This, when applied to Bill Clinton or anyone else says that the second mistake is not forgivable; nor the tenth mistake.
I've read several "letters to the editor" who insist that the "Commander-in-Chief" of the U.S. armed forces be court martialed for not following the military rules of conduct imposed on all military personnel. This is an added very serious and logical request that should not now or ever be ignored.
I, too, am confused but believe that the impeachment of Clinton provides a needed deterrence for all public officials and I believe it may help keep Bill Clinton's successor in line. So I vote on my morality.
Rex Bradt, Warsaw
Editor's Note: This letter was edited to conform more closely to the 500-word limit stated in the Times-Union letters policy.
Remembering Flowers
Editor, Times-Union:A few words about the item in the "Remember When" "50 Years Ago" that ran on Sept. 25; I am the "floored florist" referred to in the article. The circumstances were as follows: I was working for my father, LeRoy G. Anderson, owner and operator of Anderson Greenhouses on N. Detroit St. One day a young POW, Edwin Roberts, came in and plunked down a sufficient amount of dollars to send a bouquet of flowers and a card of congratulations to "Puff Uffleman" along with the address for delivery. Later in the day as I endeavored to make the delivery, I was surprised to find that the address was the residence of Mrs. Sparks, the owner of Maple Avenue Greenhouse. When she came to the door, I said, "I have flowers for Puff Uffleman. "She said "For whom?" and I repeated it. She gave way to laughter and said, "Do you know who Puff Uffleman is?" She said, "Come, and I'll show you," and led me to a basket where a mother cat was nursing a litter of new born kittens. Somehow Bill Mollenhour, then editor of the Times-Union, got hold of the story, and asked me to come in and give him the details which I did. He ran the story, with the phrase, "floored florist," which was repeated in your 50 Years Ago article. Thanks for running it; it brought back memories.
Dick Anderson, Warsaw
Remembering Taylor
Editor Times-Union:It isn't often a 68-year-old fellow can surf the Internet, and see his father's name pop up somewhere. That's what happened to me yesterday (October 2) when I logged on to the Times-Union.
Your "Remember When" piece about Marion Taylor painting the dome at the Warsaw courthouse was a story my mom, Icie Taylor, told us kids often. It had to do, my father died the year I was born, in 1930. She took the proceeds from a small insurance policy and bought the Sevastopol store. That's where I grew up.
Thanks for sharing it with us. Icie Taylor would have been pleased as punch to (see) it.
Keith Taylor, Chula Vista, Calif.
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- Government Overload - Creationism - Clinton - Remembering Flowers - Remembering Taylor
Government Overload
Editor, Times-Union:I have voted, I have written my congressmen, and I have phoned them but to no avail. I have witnessed the government take over the medical profession and our schools. They dominate every facet of our daily lives by the amount of taxes they impose. They make a constant attack on our right to keep and bear arms and if we are not careful they will eventually disarm us. It happened in Australia. They try to tell us if and where we can smoke, that we have to wear seat belts in our cars, etc. The list goes on and on. They tell us that family is important but they tax us to the extent that one member of the family has to work to support the family and the other has to work to pay taxes. My oldest son with four children has to pay over $400 this year for school book rental. When I was in school we bought our books from the class ahead of us for $1 or less, depending on the condition of the book. All together my wife and I spent less than $1,500 on the births of all four of our children and that was without insurance. My son spent more than that on his first child and he was covered by insurance. This is what government meddling in the schools and medical profession has done for us.
The government in its infinite wisdom is taking billions of dollars away from hard working citizens to support what it calls a "War on Drugs." This miserably failed program does nothing more than take money from the taxpayer and give it to a bunch of self-serving bureaucrats. It makes a weed that grows wild in this area one of the top cash crops in the U.S. It makes criminals out of young people and keeps organized crime in business. It fills jails with people whose only crime is against their own bodies. Now they tell us we need to spend more money for more prisons. In the name of the "War on Drugs" they are defiling the Constitution of this country. Thomas Jefferson would roll over in his grave if he saw U.S. Government agents kicking people's doors down and seizing their property without a court order. Don't think this can't happen to you. If one of your kids is hiding illegal drugs in his bedroom your door may be next.
We do not have to put up with this kind of government but we don't have forever to change it either. If you want your grandchildren to live in a socialist country then keep on voting Democrat or Republican because that is where they are taking us. If you want your children and grandchildren to be responsible for their own lives then do what I am going to do. Vote Libertarian.
Charles Carnes, Warsaw
Creationism
Editor, Times-Union:As the debate over creation and evolution goes on I feel we may be missing one of the most important elements in evaluating the true nature of what each belief has to offer. I, in my own words am attempting to describe what kind of life each belief would offer if it was in fact the way it really was.
If I were a firm believer in evolution my life and what I would consider important would not be measured by my compassion, love, honesty, fair play, or any desire to benefit mankind but my ability to own, possess, control, or manipulate my surrounding for personal gain. I in short would be evaluated by the amount of money I have, the things I have to give me pleasure, or anything I could do to give myself pleasure. This premise is based on the fact that there is no code of proper behavior, no moral issues to adhere to, only self gratification, and because there is no life after death only the present is important. There would be no or little love because we would need to be concerned only with ourselves. A new conquest of love each night would be accepted because emotions or emotional ties would be of no consequence to us. Why would we obey any laws? Why would we plan for the future if was are living for today? Does evolution mean we do not need to honor our parents or be concerned about our children or even admit we have any children? Does it mean we can turn our back on responsibility? Would I be appalled by abortion or just turn my head with no concern over the millions of children who never got the chance to take a single breath?
I could go on forever about this but in preparing this letter I have been personally struck by the realization that this describes a large part of our society. The lack of concern for others, the disrespect we show each other, the millions of unborn babies who perish every day, and the attitude that "I" am number 1, me first. Not to mention the total disregard that there is a God who created us, but I don't believe in God if I believe in evolution.
We can get caught up in the argument over fossils and dinosaurs and how old the earth is and the origin of the universe, but I feel it is so easy to miss the true message of creation. The next time you hear the debate over creation and evolution stop and think what kind of life and lifestyle each offers you and then ask yourself which one gives you hope when you feel hopeless, a friend when you need someone to listen, love when you feel unloved, compassion when you're hurting, and a creator who was tempted just as you are and a heavenly home that you cannot even imagine. Give me a person with no hope and they are already defeated, give me a person with hope and anything is possible.
Larry Hunter, Akron
Editor's Note: This letter was edited to conform more closely to the 500-word limit stated in the Times-Union letters policy.
Clinton
Editor, Times-Union:"It ain't necessarily true" that your claim to be out of step with the polls is correct. There are many reasons people avoid saying that we should impeach William Jefferson Clinton.
One reason to not impeach him is that by so doing we put Vice President Gore in the presidency and all thoughtful people realize that Gore is quietly, more dangerous because he knows how to be deceitful quietly in his drive to enlarge the federal government and impose socialism upon this country even as we see how USSR was destroyed by socialism.
So the "impeach Clinton" topic, like most of life's bad decisions, is not simply which is worse? We've been skillfully entrapped.
Basically the real decision that should be argued is how much socialism can USA handle without being devastated? Have we already passed the "Endangered Species" threshold beyond which there is no recovery or can we, like Sweden and Norway, reverse the giveaways that buy votes and stop destruction of our republic form of votes controlled government?
Decisions like this show up in our daily papers too. In today's paper is a headline that has perhaps unintended overtones. "City OK's Water Budget." $2,626,191 was approved but it was stated that this was "funded out of receipts and not tax dollars." (Sounds like a Goreism!)
But since United Water provides the city with treated water, how come the city is budgeting two and a quarter million dollars for water treatment? Have I missed something?
My water bills still come from United. Is the city treating sewage based upon the amount of water consumed?
Are we being "Goreized" right here by the demands of a non-existent city water plant? Or is this just a typo mistake?
Incidently, aside from sewage and taxes, what income does this town have? If over a million can be pulled out of the magicians hat, how did it get there without taxation? Is a fee based upon sewage or other universally used service really not a tax?
I weigh heavily the negative effect Bill Clinton's personal life and "In-Credibility" or uncredibility dark shadows cast on the rest of the world and how such hurts what the Statue of Liberty stands for and what 95 percent of America stands for.
Forgiveness is no longer an argument. The old axiom: "For the first mistake I can blame the other person but if it happens again I must blame myself." This, when applied to Bill Clinton or anyone else says that the second mistake is not forgivable; nor the tenth mistake.
I've read several "letters to the editor" who insist that the "Commander-in-Chief" of the U.S. armed forces be court martialed for not following the military rules of conduct imposed on all military personnel. This is an added very serious and logical request that should not now or ever be ignored.
I, too, am confused but believe that the impeachment of Clinton provides a needed deterrence for all public officials and I believe it may help keep Bill Clinton's successor in line. So I vote on my morality.
Rex Bradt, Warsaw
Editor's Note: This letter was edited to conform more closely to the 500-word limit stated in the Times-Union letters policy.
Remembering Flowers
Editor, Times-Union:A few words about the item in the "Remember When" "50 Years Ago" that ran on Sept. 25; I am the "floored florist" referred to in the article. The circumstances were as follows: I was working for my father, LeRoy G. Anderson, owner and operator of Anderson Greenhouses on N. Detroit St. One day a young POW, Edwin Roberts, came in and plunked down a sufficient amount of dollars to send a bouquet of flowers and a card of congratulations to "Puff Uffleman" along with the address for delivery. Later in the day as I endeavored to make the delivery, I was surprised to find that the address was the residence of Mrs. Sparks, the owner of Maple Avenue Greenhouse. When she came to the door, I said, "I have flowers for Puff Uffleman. "She said "For whom?" and I repeated it. She gave way to laughter and said, "Do you know who Puff Uffleman is?" She said, "Come, and I'll show you," and led me to a basket where a mother cat was nursing a litter of new born kittens. Somehow Bill Mollenhour, then editor of the Times-Union, got hold of the story, and asked me to come in and give him the details which I did. He ran the story, with the phrase, "floored florist," which was repeated in your 50 Years Ago article. Thanks for running it; it brought back memories.
Dick Anderson, Warsaw
Remembering Taylor
Editor Times-Union:It isn't often a 68-year-old fellow can surf the Internet, and see his father's name pop up somewhere. That's what happened to me yesterday (October 2) when I logged on to the Times-Union.
Your "Remember When" piece about Marion Taylor painting the dome at the Warsaw courthouse was a story my mom, Icie Taylor, told us kids often. It had to do, my father died the year I was born, in 1930. She took the proceeds from a small insurance policy and bought the Sevastopol store. That's where I grew up.
Thanks for sharing it with us. Icie Taylor would have been pleased as punch to (see) it.
Keith Taylor, Chula Vista, Calif.
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