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An OPen Letter
MORALITY AND THE LAW CXLII
By Stephen Ellis
AN OPEN LETTER TO BARACK OBAMA AND JOHN McCAIN
Nobody asked me, but…
One of two of you will become the next President of the United States. Having lived longer than either of you, I would like to make some suggestions that would help to turn our economy around when you take office:
The price of oil and gasoline: At five dollars a gallon (or even more by the time you take office) our nation is being badly bruised and beaten. I realize that ethanol, plug-in vehicles, hydrogen and hybrids are on the way and they will decrease our dependence on imported oil. But even when cars that use a fraction of the petroleum now being used are ready, it will take about ten years before the newer vehicles populate our streets and the newer fuel is available at the corner station. I suggest that we (a) take the reins off of oil drilling in the USA. There is a veritable ocean of oil beneath us if only the government will allow it to be pumped out before Canada, using slant drilling, takes most of it and (b) we open our huge strategic oil reserves to impact the price of oil from OPEC. By the time we have consumed our strategic oil reserves, machinery of modern warfare that we are saving it for will be using other methods of propulsion.
The real estate market: We are in a “false” real estate recession caused by some very greedy lenders lending 100% and sometimes 110% of the price of a home to people who could not possibly afford to buy a home. This is a “false” recession because all real-estate recessions have always occurred when interest rates and unemployment are high. Neither is true at this time. But the media and the “greedy” have made it seem like a genuine recession…and it may become just that if you don’t take corrective steps. G.W. Bush has handled it in the worst possible way putting pressure on lenders to make obtaining mortgage loans difficult. This is directly the opposite of what should have been done. Mortgage loans should be made easy to get, but not given-away in the manner that started this whole fiasco. Lenders should be encouraged to make mortgage loans, but require a minimum of 10% hard-money down payment. No “second mortgages” or tricky financing, etc. This will create a strong income for our financial institutions and end the so-called real estate recession abruptly.
Our troops in Iraq: You have to recognize that the first duty of the USA’s military is to defend the USA from foreign attack. I don’t know who appointed the USA as the world’s policeman, but it’s “wrong” to have our boys killed in some foreign land such as Afghanistan, Iraq or Viet Nam. I was a combat veteran of the Korean War, and where did that get us? The customs and mores of other nations belong to them. It is not our God-given duty to try and make them like us. All we ever succeed in doing is making every country we occupy “hate” us and bankrupt our Treasury. Iraq and Afghanistan must be left to resolve their own problems in their own way. Let’s save our military for “if” and “when” some nation takes it upon themselves to attack us. What actually happened on 9/11 is still open to serious question and investigation. But neither Iraq nor Afghanistan had anything to do with it.
Our declining infra-structure and maritime fleet: There is little that needs more attention from a new President than to rebuild our infra-structure of highways, bridges, flood control of rivers, rebuilding and modernizing our maritime fleet. These are the things that keep one nation ahead of others. Our railroad situation is pitiful. What was once the pride of the world is antiquated and virtually useless except for freight. Mag-lev and other high-speed trains are needed and needed now. Alternate fuels must be found for our commercial airliners or every airline will soon be filing bankruptcy.
Abortion must remain a woman’s choice: No matter how you view it, abortion is “wrong” except as the result of incest, rape or medical problems. Very few people believe that snuffing-out the life of an unborn child is the right thing to do. But that child is in a woman’s body…and it is she…and no one else…that must carry that child to full term. Therefore, as much as the thought of abortion is distasteful, it is only the woman carrying the child that can make a sound decision as to whether or not she wants to have that baby. With apologies to anti-abortionists, the woman’s choice must be deemed legal and final. As for the “fathers”, when they have to carry a child in their womb, it will become their choice, too.
Universal medical and health care: We are supposed to be the most advanced nation in the world…yet we are one of very few countries that do not provide universal health and medical care. The way we treat our citizens, medically, is this nation’s greatest shame. We have allowed the medical and drug lobbies to become so powerful that they, not our congress, are running the nation. This has to be stopped…now!
Illegal Immigration: This is a problem that we have created for ourselves and one that does not have a simple solution. Our borders with Canada and Mexico are so vast that I see no way of stemming the flow of illegals into this country. Illegals come to the USA to find work and work is available in America. We have made welfare benefits so easy to get and pay so well, that American citizens make more money by sitting on their behinds and receiving welfare than they can earn doing the unpleasant jobs the illegals are willing to do. So, our welfare recipients prefer to live on welfare and there is a national shortage of people willing to work at the lower-paying jobs. Thus there will always be an influx of illegal workers to fill those jobs.
It is estimated that there are 25 million illegals (and their families) living and working in this country. I realize you don’t want to reward non-citizens for having illegally entered this country, but how do you send back 25 million people…many of them with children born in the USA? The answer is easy: You can’t! There is absolutely no way to round-up the illegal workers in this country and send them back to where they came from…even if the nation they came from would accept them back…which is doubtful. Even if you could locate, identify and pack a thousand busses full of illegals every day, it would take years to send them home…and many would be back here the next day.
What you should do is require every non-citizen to get a Tax ID number from the INS; no chance of their being arrested or deported. They apply for and get a Tax ID number. Anyone…absolutely anyone… employing an alien without a tax ID number will be subject to massive fines. What this will do is make the non-citizens pay their fair share of taxes…even if, as non-citizens, they are not entitled to benefits such as Social Security, they and their employers would have to pay into the system. It might actually make the Social Security system solvent.
There is much, much more to add, but these few things would help start your Presidency on the right track. Please consider them seriously.
As I said…nobody asked me.
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Good letter. However, your suggestions are too logical and practical to be applicable in the world of politics. It all comes down to lobbyists and money; there's always an agenda and everything that makes good sense goes right out the window.
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Agreed. Mail it.
I linked to this in my blog (don't get excited, it's not like I have a lot of readers).
Silk
http://TheSilkenTouch.blogspot.com/
6/24/08 11:54 AM
THE #1 FINANCIAL CRISIS IN THE UNITED STATES
By Dr Ben Lerner - America's Maximized Living Mentor
I was quite fortunate to learn some great lessons from some equally great people at a very young age. Isn't that how that works - great people have great things to say?
It turns out that all of these people were either brilliant or prophetic. The Boston Herald (By Associated Press / Wednesday, March 5, 2008 / http://www.bostonherald.com/L
At that rate, 4.7% per year, 12 years from now you will need approximately $400,000 IN CASH at retirement to pay medical costs not covered by Insurance and Medicare. If Medicare fades out, as many are predicting, you will need far more than that. Depending on your condition, possibly several times that amount. So what is the problem then? Most people will say, "We need better health care coverage." That is insane for many reasons, here are two:
1) There is no way to give everyone in the US an additional $200,000 - $1,000,000
2) It's an insane notion. Clearly we don't need more health coverage - we need more health.
The real problem is that the last place you put time and effort is in your health, which is why it fails and becomes so expensive later. Here's the proof.
>Cheap food, cheap groceries, and cheap supplements are all #1 sellers.
>Only 13% of the US exercises regularly
>Only 7% go the chiropractor
>You get the cheapest insurance available and then GO TO DOCTORS ON THE LIST! If it is cheap insurance, then it has doctors on the list that accept guidelines set up by the insurer. These guidelines are designed to save the insurer mon