Our freedoms are under attack
Clearly, our country is at a crossroad. There are presently factors at play which threaten our sovereignty, our standard of living, and our peace and security. Two of the most important I note below.
Recent attempts to control speech, with the Fairness Doctrine, threatens our freedom to speak without fear. The present administration’s attacks on those expressing opposing views are unacceptable. This country was built on the right to express different views. It is part of our strength. Above all, we must protect it.
Another threat to our nation is the new health care plan being considered by Congress, which calls for total government control. Though it is vehemently denied by the administration it is clearly a form of socialism. No one denies our present system needs to be altered in order to cut costs and provide all with quality care.
The present plan, as proposed, would eliminate competition from private insurance companies. This is likely to raise costs not lower them, create rationing and reduce the standard of care. Competition and free choice are the hallmarks of our country. They must be preserved.
Now is the time to watch what is going on in Congress, look carefully at the present administration’s policies, read (or re-read) our Constitution, and use good sense to save our Republic.
Louise V. Peterson Ann Arbor
Comments
Hot Sam
Fri, Jan 1, 2010 : 9:05 a.m.
If Limbaugh is so irrelevant, then why do all these folks need to make things up to get after him? My reason for bringing him up was not to debate his content, but to question why members of CONGRESS took to the floor to debate what were proven to be lies. This is even more troubling if you believe he is who Dave says he is. Some are not seeing it because the content is not in line with their own thoughts. Don't forget the political pendulum is always swinging. To mention Bush and Reagen without Clinton and the current bunch is to miss half the problem. This wall street corruption is truly bi-partisan. And yes, Bush spent like a drunken sailor, but that is no reason to triple the wrongdoing...
bedrog
Fri, Jan 1, 2010 : 8:06 a.m.
gee..stupid me...i thought some of the key dangers to our way of life were :terrorists and those here who make apologies for them on both the extreme left and the extreme right....and the overuse of the internet as a source of both often dubious information and the mobilization of the duller witted/mean sprited who buy into this stuff....and, oh yeah, the FOX network. it never occurred to me that a president with an intellect, a willingeness to act only on careful consideration of information,a mature even -keeled personality, and no history of drug addiction could be such a menace...but hey now im set straight...thanks letter writer
David Briegel
Fri, Jan 1, 2010 : 12:34 a.m.
Rush is a comedian and entertainer whose specialty is buffoonery! He is semi-literate at best. Nobody did anything to him that he didn't do to himself. I think you are totally wrong about the free speech issue and if anyone tried to prevent free speech me and the ACLU would handle it. Mark is completely correct about Obama and the fear mongering by the ornery old white guys. The fact that the liberal left is upset with him is proof that he is a centrist. Hot Sam is correct about Goldman Sachs and if there was any justice in this once proud nation, Henry Paulson would be in prison where he belongs along with half of Wall Street. The 10 percent kickback on the AIG bailout is just the tip of the iceberg. He and the Bush's were almost as corrupt as the Reagan administration. Top Cat, you refer to our President as Oborrow. Just curious, what did you call the guys that actually rang up that 12 trillion debt? 20 years and 20 budgets and not one balanced. That is the legacy of Ronnie and his disciples, the Bush Crime Family! And the only thing we got was billionaire tax cuts and Perpetual War Profiteering!
Hot Sam
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 2:55 p.m.
There are certainly regulations that are needed, and that is something we need government for. However, government needs to make and enforce the rules...not play in the game. Whenever they do, it never leads to results that "we the people" are capable of. The banking act of 1933 kept a lot of nonsense out of our economic system. It's dismantling occurred under a number of administrations, ending with Bill Clinton's signature in the late 90's. Under all of these administrations there has been a common denominator. Treasury Secretaries that come from Goldman Sacks...think about it. When the wall streeters broke the rules what did we do? Punish them? Let them go under? No, we bailed them out and the taxpayers gave them their bonuses. Don't even get me started on Fannie and Freddie... Government in general, and at the federal level in particular, is out of control. Our problem is not Republicans or Democrats, it is Republicans AND Democrats!!!!
Hot Sam
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 2:48 p.m.
Getting back to the first question in this forum. One prime example would be what the press and many members of congress did to Limbaugh. While he is too much a partisan shill for me, the fact is that these people took things that he never said and went to the airwaves as well as the house and senate floors with their indignation. The quotes were pure fabrications. Add to this the background and writings of the current "regulatory czar", and yes we do have to fear for our freedom of speech and the ridiculous and wrongly labeled "fairness doctrine". More examples do abound...Any one who does not recognize this is in fact residing in some interplanetary address.
Mark
Thu, Dec 31, 2009 : 12:34 p.m.
Diagenes, I disagree with you completely about what President Obama is trying to do with our country. And you would do if you would just do a little homework and stop watching Fox news,... Go back to his original campaign website and re-read all of his position papers on economic issues. He continues to speak verbatim today on what he articulated during the campaign. In a nutshell,.. that is to return to a well regulated capitalist system that is capable of governing itself. With nothing more than the Federal Government's hand on the tiller (so to speak,..) I see no where that he wants to put in place long term socialist type (full control of ownership and distribution of entire industries) as you advocate. And if you would please,.. go back and take a 2nd look at Ireland,... They are a basket case compared to us right now. Their economy collapsed in late 08 after faster than you can possibly manage growth,.. and the high inflation that came with it. (Yes,.. inflation only topped at 6.5%,.. but in some critical sectors of their economy, ie: food staples,. it topped 30% at times) We really don't have any choice but to return to the regulation level of the 60's and 70's. It just needs to be smarter regulation,...
Bill Wilson
Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 11:22 a.m.
"They are on the verge of passing and implementing almost complete control of our health care system. (This would actually be facist not socialist. Facism is when gov. controls private enterprise through overwhelming regulation.)" Diagenes: Facism is a form of socialism, as is Communism. Rush explained the difference once on the Phil Donahoe show after a man in that audience called Limbaugh a "facist:" Rush (to the man): "Do you know what Facism is, sir? Tell us what facism is." Man: "Um....uh..uh...well...um..." Rush:"You obviously don't know sir. Let me help you. Facism is the merging of Government with business for the benefit of the Government, whereas Communism is the merging of business with the Government for the benefit of the people. I advocate neither position. So how does this make me a Facist? Mam: "Uh....uh....um....um.... (turning to Donahue)he's just a Facist." Louise, I'm with you on the speech issue, but not on health care. I'm a Conservative who pays taxes, and thus is supplementing the current system for those of you who already have it. I'm tired of paying for you people and then being shut out of the system myself due to the outrageous costs involved.
Diagenes
Wed, Dec 30, 2009 : 9 a.m.
Mark, Louise is right the U.S. is at a cross road. Obama wants to make our country a european type social democracy. Unfortanutely few people in our government learn from history. Europe has had an economy that baerly grows. Has almost no inovation. A overloaded health care system that only works for those who can afford private insurance. Europe outsources its security to the U.S. Saving the countries billions. The U.S. has a higher corporate tax rate than France. In order to be globally competetive, tax policy, regulations and energy costs need to be addressed more than shifting the cost of health care to individuals and government. Why is Ireland the fastest growing economy in the EU? Low taxes, an educated work force, and business friendly regulations. We could learn something from the Irish if our politicians were smart enough to see. On both sides of the aisle.
Mark
Tue, Dec 29, 2009 : 4:37 p.m.
Wow! Imagine my reaction Sunday when I read Louise's letter. I always knew there were people that lived on different planets, but to have it verified for me in the local paper. Priceless! First off, David is right, Louise can't cite one instance of her First Amendment rights being infringed upon. I would stand with both David with the ACLU if she were to come up with one. But I won't hold my breath on that one. And are you kidding me,.. Where is the Fairness Doctrine even being discussed? With the exception of some far left wing blogs, it's not even on this administrations radar screen. Would we like to see some balance and "real" journalism in our media, of course we would, but almost everyone knows that the Fairness Doctrine will not get us that as long as FCC ownership rules continue to be skirted. Power begets power, and as long as the media elites hold the power that they alone bestow, we get what we get. As for your comments on Health Care reform, I'm not even sure where to start. You all have to decide if you want to live in a country that can compete globally. If you have been paying attention at all to the cost projections coming out of just about every private think tank in America, the current system of doling out health care dollars will bankrupt us in under 30 years, give or take 5 years depending on who you listen to. We CANNOT afford to continue down this path. Where is your evidence that the pending reforms will "likely" raise costs? CBO and GAO scoring of DC legislation has been relatively accurate over the years "when" the legislation has been enacted as passed. The problem is that legislators always pass a bill,.. then rob Peter to pay Paul later on, so any particular piece of legislation is shortchanged against it's intent. As for the comments about our heading down a road of Socialism or Fascism,.. all I can do is laugh. We're so far from being a real Socialist or Fascist state you need a telescope to see that far. So stop with all the fearmongering. Again,. I ask each of you to decide if you want to live in a country that's competitive globally or not. Because if you think the laissez-faire capitalism of the last quarter century is going to allows us to compete in this new world, you are sorely mistaken. For the record,.. I have a job that by most measures, puts me in the top 5% of income earners in the US and I can see the handwriting on the wall. How is it you can't?
Hot Sam
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 5:28 p.m.
Dave asks: "You might want to ask a socialist if there are any socialist policies in our govt. " I met a couple up in West Branch two days ago. They own a restaurant called the Willow Tree. Tony was born in Montenegro in the former Yugoslavia. He is appalled at the move toward socialism in our country. (notice I said "move toward" for those of you who want to get technical) He cannot believe the freedoms we are willing to take for granted, and the troubling size which we have allowed government to grow. He sees his former country abandoning these policies and our country picking them up. We have a brother in law who is Croatian.He escaped from Yugoslavia as a teenager and he will tell you the same thing. The people who I know who have the biggest fear of where our country is heading are indeed former socialists.
John Galt
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 2:58 p.m.
I agree with you Louise. It is Statism run amok.
TFF3
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 11:58 a.m.
Good article Louise.
shawnsbrain
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 11:19 a.m.
Dave, Yes we do have a right to our own facts. Those are called opinions. There is not some authority on "truth" that deems what speech is protected. If market forces pave the way for an expression of one's opinion so be it. Perhaps others with different opinions could use the market similarly to get out their opinions as well (oh yeah, Air America failed). On health care: does the current system need to altered? Certainly, as in anything, there can be incremental improvements. Generally, I think our system works pretty well. Government mandates are not the answer. What is so wrong with letting me shop the system and spend my resources the why I want to. Let the market prevail. Health care is not a right. It is a product available for purchase. What's next? "Free"" food for all. How about "free" shelter. Maybe toss in "free" utilities. Once everything is provided for me I won't have to work and can educate myself about the virtues of socialism.
Top Cat
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 11:13 a.m.
The fact is that Oborrow, Pelosi and Reid have one goal and that is to grow the size and scope of the Federal Government. They have and will continue to take more money from the private sector and then decide how and to what end it will be spent. Whether you call this socialism, facism, collectivism is of no consequence. There is no precedent in history where going down a path like this has not resulted in a loss of freedom to individuals.
Diagenes
Mon, Dec 28, 2009 : 9:59 a.m.
Dave, The feds own GM and banks, the entire college tuition lending program, a passenger railroad system called Amtrak. Do I need to list more examples of socialist policy in our government? They are on the verge of passing and implementing almost complete control of our health care system. (This would actually be facist not socialist. Facism is when gov. controls private enterprise through overwhelming regulation.) I believe my rights are infringed. I cannot buy a toilet that has not been designed according to government standards. You cannot buy pajamas that have not been sprayed with fire retardent. I don't smoke so my chance of lighting myself on fire while smoking in bed is extremely low. But I have to pay the increase in production costs. Dave, someday I hope you will come to see that government often creates the very problem they try to solve and that evil people exist on both sides of the political spectrum.
David Briegel
Sun, Dec 27, 2009 : 9:41 p.m.
Dear Louise, Please cite one example of an infringement on your freedom of speech. Just one. If you can I am certain that the ACLU will come to your defense. And so will I! Anyone has the right to an opinion but not their own facts. The Ann Arobor News printed lies on a regular basis and A2.com continues the practice. The lie is not equal to the truth. The lie is not worthy of equal time or space next to the truth! The truth is not an opinion. You might want to ask a socialist if there are any socialist policies in our govt. There aren't! There is no govt takeover of health care being proposed. The myth that insurance companies aren't allowed to compete is totally false. They just need to apply for a license in any state. They choose not to compete against one another which borders on price fixing. There can be some changes but that is up to the states! You state that "our present system needs to be altered". Wondering why the "anti-socialists" didn't take care of that for you and us when they had complete control of our govt? In no way do I feel my freedom is under attack like I did the previous 8 years!