LETTERS: THE ONLY WORD FOR IT IS STUPIDITY

To the editor:

Many people will probably disagree with this letter, but when they come up with a better word to describe the cause of the issues that follow,I will concede that I erred. Being a person who believes in the truth rather than this silly political correctness which prevails today, here goes.

First, let me say that this is written from the perspective of the average citizen and not from the selfish viewpoints of the special interests who benefit from outright stupidity. These examples which follow are just a very few of the hundreds of thousands that exist, but it would take at least a thousand-page book to list them all, and time and space don't permit it. The subject is government irresponsibility, since this should concern everyone.

The practice of hiring people to represent our interests in Washington and the rehiring them after they double-cross us and sell us out to Big Business and our foreign enemies cannot be described more aptly by any other word that stupidity.

The practice of the taxpayers' willingly picking up the tab for the defense as well as the prosecution in criminal court cases is a fool's game. What this amounts to, in effect, is fighting ourselves. Stupidity or what?

Foreign aid is very similar to this, only much worse: giving money to every country so they can buy war materials to either fight us or to start a war with another country so we can send troops to keep the peace. This practice is about as dangerous, foolhardy and treasonous as can be concocted by the brain -- or lack thereof -- of man. We are financing the possible destruction of our country from a practice that has no possible benefit to us. Has anyone got a better word that stupidity for this?

It takes a complete imbecile not to figure out that a criminal will be more likely to attack an unarmed person than an armed one. What possible logic could one use to deny this? The gun grabbers can only utilize stupidity to further their goals of a helpless citizenry.

Membership in the United Nations is another act of complete stupidity. We are expected to pay most of the expenses of the United Nations as well as furnish most of the cannon fodder for the endless wars referred to as peacekeeping. But when an issue comes up for a vote, Uncle Sam has only one vote when other countries smaller than Rhode Island also have one vote. How can we ever be proportionately represented? There's a simple answer: We can't.

Spending taxpayers' money to subsidize sugar growers, peanut farmers and scores of other businesses in order to raise the price of everything is only a smart move for everyone but the taxpayers. The big businesses gain in a big way, and I'm quite sure that the members of Congress who vote for these subsidies don't lose anything, but they gain a lot of popularity among Big Business and plenty of help at election time.

They say ignorance is bliss, and I guess what taxpayers lose in money, they make up in bliss.

RAY UMBDENSTOCK

Cape Girardeau