Reader Comments
Issue 105 - April 9, 2008

Editor: A quibble here, a quibble there, but you've nailed it in “All New Dealers Now?” Allbest. Neal Freeman

Editor: It took me some time to work through the economics of your analysis in your “All New Dealers Now?” but it was worth the effort. If I can get it, so should the "experts." However, being in an election cycle, I'm not taking bets on political courage. Nonetheless, great piece, Rich Byman

Editor: Bravo for your piece “All New Dealers Now?”  Under Ben (“hit the panic button”) Bernanke we are headed back to the 70s with inflation and sluggish growth. Larry Hart

Editor: Regarding your “All New Dealers Now?” and E. J. Dionne’s “advice” to conservatives, we have seen this liberal idea before. The capitalists are no good so the government is the perfect tool for the solution. Where is the history to support this nonsense? Capitalists are always in search of capital. The politicians are always after your freedom and money. Who should we trust? John Phelps, Vail, CO

Editor: Regarding your “All New Dealers Now?” our government is nothing but a rip off and none of the people running for president is telling the American people the truth—it’s all lies. Norman Crouch

Editor: The article "$3,000 Tax Increase" by Brian Riedl was very enlightening, and just another sign of the impending (and deliberate) collapse of the U.S. Economy as was referred to in your other article on the New Deal. The warning signs are all there, for those of us that choose to see them: our lawmakers are 'bent' on destroying the Middle Class in this country and throwing us into a Communist-style (read Socialist) society. It used to be that something like this would NEVER surface during an election year for fear that, should the public get wind of it, legislators would be given a one-way ticket back to "private" life. But the leaders of BOTH Houses of Congress have become so emboldened that they feel they can push whatever legislation they so choose and just 'dare' their constituents to "do something about it". And you know what? Barring a murder charge, or some other type of scandal, folks WILL literally) 'rubber stamp' their representatives/senators back into office. Whatever happened to the 'voting your wallet" concept? It's been said that every President since 1860 has been elected based on that principle. How come our legislators aren't held up to the same scrutiny? It's high time that WE, the people, start asking our representatives the age-old question that we face from OUR bosses every day: "What have you done for ME lately?" If that were to happen, I dare say that there would be a wholesale "changing of the guard" every other year! Thank You, Gary Mercatante, Woodhaven, Michigan

Editor: We must have the most complicated tax system in the world that promotes chaos and cheating. If we did away with all of these agencies, like IRS, and had a straight sales tax, everyone would pay into the system including the illegal immigrants who are sending all of their cash back to Mexico (which has a housing boom while we all go into foreclosure). The Fair Tax idea is almost as crazy as what we have now. Why create another office to send refunds? I still contend there are ten percent of the highly educated, highly compensated supporting the other ninety percent of seniors, disabled, children, and immigrants not working. That same ten percent will leave this country as they grow weary of supporting everyone else. The answer to all of our problems is education. The Dumbing-Down of America is firmly in place and we are falling behind as a country. We no longer have a middle class in this country. Minimum wage, Social Security or SSI keeps people in poverty while our elected officials give themselves raises without question. It seems like we already have Universal Healthcare. When an immigrant crosses the border and has an anchor baby, they are secure for 18 years with social services and medical care you and I can't access. When will someone in Washington step up to the plate and say "Enough of the insanity, back to basics"? This is a sad time in these United States for We the People. M Dorin, FL

Editor: I enjoyed reading the informative writing of Alan Caruba on “Experts Expose Warming.” Like other authoritative authors I have read that rebut the fallacious reasoning of Global Warming proponents, I conclude that millions of public and private funds are being poured into a financial black hole. When the awaking comes, I surmise the impact on the US and foreign economies will approach the magnitude of the mortgage crisis. It will be interesting, and surely depressing, to see an analysis of the funds already spent and those projected to combat Global Warming. It also will serve the public interest to identify the long list of those who are profiting, directly and indirectly, from this hoax, starting with Al Gore. I respectfully urge Alan Caruba and his scientific friends to launch a full court press to enlighten the American public and politicians on the truths of the Global Warming scam. Sincerely, Albert J. Fern, San Diego

Editor: Alan Caruba’s “Experts Expose Warming” is a great article. I would like to send this article to some of my friends. How can I do that? Thanks, Gary Comer [Editor: Just do i!.]

Editor: Regarding your articles on John McCain, where are the McCain bumper stickers? Not one to be seen. Remember, the candidate with the greatest number wins the election 90%+ of the time. Why aren't Republican Headquarters open throughout the country working NOW for McCain. Like him or not he's our candidate. Wake up Conservatives and look at the alternative. PD

Editor: Unless John McCain picks a conservative as VP, such as for instance Newt Gingrich, he will not bring in the conservatives. If he does not, the only hope that the Republican Party does have has been shunned by the very party that he supports. I of course am talking about former UN Ambassador Alan Keyes. He is the last of the true Reagan Republicans who actually worked for Ronald Reagan. That is why I support Alan Keyes! Robert Littlejohn

Editor: I'm not seeing much in the way of explaining why John McCain is acting more like a Liberal Democrat every day. Don Keeney

Editor: Although at this writing McCain seems to have a narrow lead, the Republicans have a way of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and shooting themselves in the feet. Let's hope they keep their hard-toed shoes on this time. SW

Editor: In the process of conducting research on the Center for Civic Education, I read with great interest Mr. Allen Quist's article on "Federally Funded Civics?" In addition to the distorting the facts in its civics program "We the People", the Center manipulates its funding from the U.S. Department of Education to generate book orders and to earn a profit on its sales of its texts to U.S. public schools. They have no competition. I have in front of me the Center's its IRS Returns (Form 990) for 2004 and 2005. The Center reported a textbooks sales profit of $778,907 in 2004 and of $943,279 in 2005. Through its U.S. Department of Education grant to support "We the People" at the high school level, the Center trains teachers. Each teacher completing the Center's training workshops receives a teacher's guide ($18.50) and one "classroom set" of 30 books and other materials ($320.00.) The Center tells teachers that its supplies of teacher and student texts are very limited. Subsequently, to implement the "We the People" program, U.S. teachers order copies of the Center's materials when they return to their schools. Most school systems opt for the Center's special package set for $320.00 per unit - barely sufficient for one classroom. For FY2004-05, the Center reported to the IRS a gross profit of $778,907 from sales of "We the People" materials to U.S. public schools (printing cost, $225,342; net sales, $1,004,249.) For FY2005-06, the Center reported to the IRS a gross profit of $943,279. Some foreign schools also order materials, most using grant funds they have received from the Center from the Center's USAID and Department of State grants. The Center receives approximately $25,000,000 annually in Federal grants from the U.S. department of Education, the U.S. Department of State and USAID. A bulk of the funding comes from the DOEd. The DOEd grant is too small and the Center is too distant from D.C. for the grant to be monitored effectively. The Center reports to the IRS that 99.8% of its funding is from Federal grants. The Center utilizes the profits from sales of its educational materials to:-conduct programs in countries not authorized in its grants, such as Cuba, the PRC and Algeria;-provide bonuses and first class travel for its executive director and his spouse; -lease an apartment in Dupont Circle for its executive director;-to lobby Congress in ways not allowable under Federal regulations, including two or three Congressional staff delegation visits to overseas programs each year;-to fund the participation of U.S. and foreign delegates to its annual international congresses; -to fund extensive international travel and production of a forthcoming "documentary" film by a former Disney executive. I have met Center staff and observed Center programs in operation overseas. I was stunned by their liberal political agenda, advocacy of an international civic education curriculum and their disregard of basic U.S. democratic values. The Center is a case study of the problems that arise when the U.S. Department of Education funds programs on a national level which would be far better managed locally. Also, the many of the excesses of the Center's management come from the arrogance that follows many years of Congressional earmarks and the lack of competition for Federal funding. Keep up the good work! A. Martin Chase