Speak Out 3/20/09

Political process

A pointy-headed Princeton professor and a wild-eyed policy-wonk journalist recently wrote that President Obama's decision to remove the ban against federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research was politically motivated. Of course it was, just like President Bush's decision to impose the ban on federal funding was. Politics gets a bad name when in reality it is merely the process through which the people express their will through their elected officials. To say that a decision is politically motivated or the president or Congress is playing politics is to simply restate the way our system works. If you have a better idea of how to govern fairly without politics, let's hear it. Ironically, politicians try to exploit this false division between themselves and the political process by often saying that they are not motivated by political concerns. That's really the same as saying that the will of the people be damned, although our system of government rests on the popular sovereignty or the will of the people. If you want to change a policy, use the political process.

Federal intervention

I laughed out loud after reading how a recent Speak Out contributor is angry that his or her bank account and mortgage are "owned" by the U.S. government. The contributor cited this and other reasons in an effort to portray our nation as a burgeoning socialist state. Would this contributor prefer going to the bank to find an empty account due to the bank's shoddy lending practices? After all, FDIC contains the word "federal" and spreads the risk among the entire population -- a socialist concept if I've ever heard one.

Crying over taxes

PRESIDENT Obama has called for the top federal income tax rate to revert to 39.6 percent from 35 percent. Add to that an uncapped payroll tax rate and the state's top income tax rate and the result is a tax rate between 55 percent and 61 percent. A couple making $250,000 ends up with about $105,000. What if you had to pay that rate? You would be crying too.

Catching speeders

I think it's despicable that police harass citizens when we're in financially vulnerable times. They sit five cars deep on the interstate with radar guns and pull people over. This is harassment. It's despicable. No wonder no tourists ever come here.

Jackson signals

WOULD somebody please consider some signal lights in Jackson? When you leave Monticello House trying to make a left turn going toward Cape Girardeau, it's almost impossible to get out.

Shorting stockholders

MANY people in Cape Girardeau own stock in major companies, either through their retirement plan or an IRA. When these major companies are losing money by giving millions of dollars in bonuses to their executives, they are stealing from the stockholders. Executives should only get bonuses when they do a good job and the company's making money and giving money back to the stockholders. Stockholders should take control of these companies.