Letters to the Editor for Friday, July 18, 2008
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Published: July 17, 2008
Time to ‘think different’ on energy
In response to the July 8 letter to the editor, “Democrats for Energy” I have just one thing to say to writer Betsy Grzybowski: Bravo!
Click to sendI completely and totally agree with her. Drilling for oil in the United States is not a solution and in fact will add to the problem by causing erosion of the land and potential pollution at sea.
She was also right in stating there are other solutions. Let’s start with intelligent conservation of our energy demands without adversely affecting our quality of life. Drive more fuel efficient vehicles, utilize public transportation (which needs to be greatly expanded and improved) more, use less electricity (start with CFL light bulbs), car pool when possible, caulk and insulate your home, and the list could go on and on.
There is also a need for leadership to come forward in developing alternate sources of energy. The sun and the wind offer unlimited opportunities if only they were utilized. Wind turbines, if constructed and located strategically, could supply electrical power to entire cities. Natural gas (of which the United States has the world’s largest reserve) could be used to replace oil in many areas. Some of these alternatives are currently in use in other countries and could be used here.
I also agree with Mrs. Grzybowski that it appears that the Democratic Party has a better appreciation for our domestic and economic problems and they would do a better job in providing the leadership required.
SIMONE D. FRASER
Hurt
In short supply
I agree with Robert Batchelder’s July 15 letter to the editor about our national energy policy with one exception.
He says, “Let’s hope the next administration and Congress have the good sense … .”
Mr. Batchelder, you are asking for the impossible. Good sense has never existed in politicians, not in Lynchburg, Richmond or Washington.
Pitiful but true.
BERT SLOAN
Lynchburg
Yellowcake, shmellowcake
Nukes in Iraq! Holy moly!
I’m glad The News & Advance finally found the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq! But seriously folks, drums of yellowcake are not a weapon of any kind, unless a drum falls on your head. Yellowcake is not “high-grade radioactive” material but a no-to-low grade uranium material that has not been enriched for weapons use.
After the first Gulf War, Iraq dismantled and destroyed what enrichment equipment it had. This material, long known to the U.S., was starter material for that program and not any subsequent nuclear program. After the first Gulf War, Iraq had no capability to enrich uranium for any purpose and never had nuclear weapons. While it is better to have the yellowcake in Canada than in the Middle East, let’s stop with the “nukes in Iraq” nonsense.
DON JOHANSON
Forest
My bad
When a man is wrong, particularly in a public forum, he should be willing to use that forum to make right his error. I would like to apologize to David McLoughlin for erroneously asserting that James Madison did not own slaves (letter to the editor, July 13).
It has been brought to my attention, that while he abhorred slavery, he was indeed a slaveholder. His presence in the abolitionist movement of the time, as well as his frequent, well documented statements against this tragic institution led to my erroneous assumption.
MICHAEL ERNETTE
Lynchburg
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( luv2bliberal ) on July 21, 2008 at 9:18 am
“Canada and England have woefully under-funded systems and still manage to outperform the American system”
Fred,
Do you have a link proving this or are you just smoking peg-leg again?
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Posted by ( luv2bliberal ) on July 21, 2008 at 8:47 am
Fred,
You have convinced me on the government run healthcare system.
Just like you I want a system that will encourage more illegal immigrants to come here to have their babies.
Just like you I want a healthcare system that will ration care to the oldest and most feeble in our society.
Just like you I want a healthcare system that will pay for all of the AIDS infested bums to live however they want to live and we get to pay for their healthcare.
Just like you I want to pay more income taxes for healthcare so that the 47 million people who were not smart enough to take advantage of the american school system and opportunities can have healthcare.
Just like you I want a healthcare system that has the efficiency of the post office and the compassion of the DMV.
Just like you I want our federal government to say “the heck with” the constitution and provide more entitlements to all of the bums that do not currently have a job because they are lazy.
Just like you I believe that all of our problems come from GW Bush and will all be taken care of when BH Obama wins the white house.
Just like you I believe that I should be allowed to immigrate to a country, perform a menial job building glove boxes for years, retire to a $180K home, drive an SUV but have a hybrid and complain non-stop about the american way of life.
What a loser! It appears that Fred can’t do anything to actually take care of himself. He needs the heavy hand of government to provide all of his needs. Thank you very much Fred, but there are still a few real americans that don’t need to be babysat by the government. We took advantage of the educational system and opportunities in america and positioned ourselves for the future. If you are too weak and simple minded to do that, well I am thankful that the democRAT party is there for you. Live however you want, just don’t ask me to pay for it while you live in a fancy home with two cars. You keep talking about how terrible the american healthcare system as though it is crap. It is about as close to being socialized as possible without having agovernment head of it. The healthcare system in america is regulated about as much as you can get it. The question McCain was asked about viagra or birth control, my answer would have been “neither”. I don’t think it is the governments business to require insurance companies to cover anything. Why should I pay for someone to get a woody or close up the baby carrier?
Insurance should be a private agreement between two parties. If you don’t like them, dump them.
http://www.angelfire.com/pa/sergeman/issues/healthcare/socialized.html
Fred,
You need to stay over at Kroger and police the plastic bag detail. That is something that even you can do since “radio” was just a movie.
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Posted by ( luv2bliberal ) on July 19, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Fred,
Did you read the part that it is one of the most expensive healthcare systems in the world?
What government program saw a decrease in expenses and better service as a result of taking that business from the private sector?
Why is many countries looking at privatization of their healthcare system after years of government bureaucracy?
We have a government run healthcare system and it is called Medicare. It is a miserable failure and congress needs to act soon just to keep it solvent. You are one greedy little man that want us to pay for you and Pegs healthcare. Thank all of the gods in the universe that healthcare isn’t mentioned in the constitution. Maybe the Supreme court will get that one right as well.
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Posted by ( Fred ) on July 19, 2008 at 9:34 am
�Whack-a-mole� luv has popped up again! Not matter how hard one whacks him back under a rock, he crawls out from under another one!
I thought I had put this health coverage issue to rest some time ago. I remember ending my post then with �There is nothing � I repeat, nothing � that luv hates more than to be confronted with the truth� (paraphrasing the editor�s asinine comments about liberals!). So he brings up the same article about Canada again! Is it the only one he has?
Canada and England have woefully under-funded systems and still manage to outperform the American system (which, of course, is not difficult as it is about the worst in the industrialized world). The French have a mostly single-payer system where patients have full freedom of choice. It is the best in the world, but apparently failed luv�s French friends who have rotten teeth! We have not heard about them for a while! Maybe their teeth finally fell out? In that case, they are most welcome to borrow some of my old dentures (if, of course, those dentures are not Raptured first � I understand they are in high demand by born-again Christians who had no dental care while down here).
I have no major complaint against the American system personally (so far!). I have Medicare and good supplemental coverage I can afford (and long term coverage as well). I am in reasonable good health. I keep in shape running after irresponsible people wasting scarce resources by using plastic bags. I keep my mind sharp by ridiculing America Uber Alles fascists.
But what about the 47 million who are uninsured and the 28 million who are underinsured? Horror stories abound that match, and easily exceed, anything luv can come up with regarding other countries (and those include Canada!).
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Posted by ( commonsenseplz ) on July 19, 2008 at 9:28 am
Fred, you never even addressed the report that Molly sent to you. Never once looked at the claims. You are a sad excuse for an old liberal.
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Posted by ( Fred ) on July 18, 2008 at 4:21 pm
molly,
Hummm ... I never said the French health system is perfect, but it is, without doubt, the best in the world.
The article you mentioned was published by the National Coalition on Health Care. Their principles are:
- Health care coverage for all
- Cost management
- Improvement of health care quality and safety
- Equitable financing
- Simplified administration
If you achieve all those goals then you have ... the French system! Nice try molly!
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Posted by ( molly brown ) on July 18, 2008 at 11:29 am
Hmmm….found a link to some interesting statistics on French healthcare that Fred never seems to mention…
http://www.nchc.org/facts/France.pdf
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Posted by ( Fred ) on July 18, 2008 at 8:36 am
I am really mad and � jealous. The same day the editor refuses to publish one of my famous sedate (quiet, calm and dignified) letters, he mentions Betsy�s name TWICE!
And why would he refuse to publish my letter? I quoted the University of California professor who claims Bush is as big a criminal as al-Bashir, the president of Sudan (of Darfur fame). I said that, while most of Iraq was left unprotected and was thoroughly looted after the American aggression, American soldiers were protecting the OIL ministry! Everybody in the world knows that but he wanted me to quote exact news organization reports.
He told me, in an e-mail: �I need NEWS organization documentation rather than opinion pieces from various activist organizations with quotes from news stories injected with little or no original context�.
And this from the guy who does nothing but writes opinion pieces mostly without any NEWS organization documentation!
And this from the guy who gleefully reported that 550 tons of yellowcake had suddenly been �discovered� (and by implication, that Bush was right about WMDs) in his asinine editorial titled �Well, What Do You Know? Nukes In Iraq� (I will spare you the �Iran� typo!). This yellowcake had been known to the UN inspectors, the CIA and the US military for at least 17 years and had been sitting undisturbed for all that time. Until villagers stole the unprotected yellowcake barrels, emptied them and put food and water in them. They are now dying from radiation poisoning. My �activist� documentation (citing Greenpeace) was not good enough for him.
And this from the guy who had the gall to claim that �There is nothing � repeat nothing � that a liberal hates more than to be confronted by the truth�. I could not help but think that Rush Limbaugh had ghost written that yellowcake editorial!
I have now found NEWS organization documentation that says exactly what my �activist� sources claimed. I will resubmit my letter.
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Posted by ( luv2bliberal ) on July 18, 2008 at 8:11 am
Fred,
Is this the type of health care that you want?
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=299282509335931
Why don’t you cut to the chase Fred and be honest with everyone on this board. We know you are retired from BWX. BWX cut the health care for retirees a couple years back. You and Peg prabably pay around $700/ month for health insurance. You didn’t prepare during your working years for your retirement. So you know want everyone to give up a portion of the money that they worked for, and use to feed, clothe, educate, and house their children with to pay for YOUR healthcare?
Pitiful Fred, pitiful.
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Posted by ( David McLoughlin ) on July 18, 2008 at 7:01 am
Michael Apology accepted. Thank you
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