Bush, McCain urge America not to lose faith during these tough economic times. Both men agree that we can turn the economy around if we give better and bigger tax cuts to the oil companies. They also agree that our medical care problems can be solved by the guarantee of increased profits for drug and insurance companies. Seems pretty simple. Hallelujah!
Frank Crosby, Morgan Hill
Tired of U.S. soldiers dying of accidental electrocution
Dear Editor,
I have a lot of complaints. They are all jumbled up in my head, in no particular order, and I hardly know where to start. How about starting with this one - I am getting tired of my soldiers being electrocuted by faulty KBR showers in Iraq. This has been going on for several years, and the U.S. government seems to think this is a low-priority glitch which does not deserve immediate attention. I guess the government has more important things to think about. If that is true, then they should think about this - my tax money built those showers. Every time one of my soldiers is electocuted, I almost feel like I'm the guy who pulled the switch. Sooner or later my son (U.S. Marine Corps) will be sent back to Iraq. It will be a real shame if he is killed by a KBR shower, won't it? If that happens, I will be in Congress the very next day demanding a tax refund. I know Congress thinks that I am a foolish old man, but take my word for it - you should not think that way.
Ron Sanders, Manteca
States can save us from fed tyranny
Dear Editor,
It does not take a rocket scientist to see that our country is rapidly becoming a federal police state. Fortunately, our individual states can save us from this tyranny if enough of them, and their citizens, are willing to act.
We need to remember that it was the original 13 states that set up the federal government and granted it the limited powers stated in the U.S. Constitution. All federally elected and appointed officials take an oath to obey our Constitution. Sadly, they have disregarded it in about 80 percent of their activities.
The Tenth Amendment can help us reclaim our lost liberties if enough of the states act to regain their lost powers. This Amendment states: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people." The states can get their lost powers back by claiming sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment.
The state of Oklahoma started the ball rolling with its House Joint Resolution 1089 which it passed 92 to 3 on March 13. However, opponents in the Oklahoma Senate kept it from being voted on before this year's legislative session ended. But, it is certain to be voted on again in 2009. See www.thenewamerican.com for details. All we have to do now to lose the shackles of the federal government is to get enough citizens to demand that their states use similar resolutions.
Larry William Bradbury, Reseda
Other funding sources should be explored to pay for high-speed rail
Dear Editor,
I concluded in a paper published in 1997 by the Transportation Law Journal and Transportation Lawyers Association Magazine that our transportation policy suffers from a barrier where the private sector operated on one side and the public sector on another. I plagiarized a country lawyer, who plagiarized a higher source, by saying that we are a house divided against ourselves in our transport policy.
I see this again with the proposal to build high speed rail in California, Proposition 1 on the November ballot. A Senate Transportation and Housing Committee report dated Jan. 11, 2008 contains some critical analysis that others may have been unwilling to undertake, or admit.
Construction of the transcontinent railroad was a financial success for the owners of Credit Mobelier. It took a long time for the Union Pacific Railroad to repay the taxpayers for the land grants, but they did, with $540 million (in 1940 dollars) extra by the end of World War II.
Today Bechtel Corp. proposes to build high-speed rail, with the taxpayers paying for the construction, God only knows how much. If it's anything like VTA, it'll be twice what the high-speed rail advocates are saying, maybe more.
So, what are we going to do if voters approve Proposition 1? Ignoring what economists call "externalities" (consequences or side effects), looking at the financing of the high-speed rail in California, what can be done to answer the senate committee's questions? To improve the high-speed rail's business plan?
Government ownership of infrastructure is what Proposition 1 says, but do we also have to absorb the humongous annual operating losses, too? But how will our children and grandchildren be paying for it? And also paying the operating subsidies? Are we ignoring their choices? Why? What right do we have to plan a debt monster and place it on their backs?
If the taxpayers are going to build and own the high-speed rail infrastructure, then we are going to have the debt for its construction, and the annual operating losses for running the trains.
What revenue besides passenger fares (covering only about 10 percent of operating costs) could we have to contribute to the payment of the expenses?
An answer can be seen in Traffic World's June 16 edition. The report says that FedEx is, contrary to its practice in the country, going to use high-speed rail to move freight in Europe. The article says the starting date will be in 2012 for this service, while construction is completed on certain freight depots at airports like DeGaulle in Paris. They mention other cities including London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, etc., in Northern Europe.
If California is going to have high-speed rail, then we ought to be smarter about it than those who see it only as a passenger service, which will cause us losses greater than those suffered by Amtrak and Caltrain combined.
It is not implausible to suggest that sufficient high revenue tonnage could go a long way to offsetting those losing passenger fares.
Joe Thompson, Gilroy
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Local police compete in sharpshooting, obstacle competition
