We need to stand up and take our country back

Letters

January 20, 2010

letters to the editor

by Mike Baton, Bronston, Ky. The Commonwealth Journal Wed Jan 20, 2010, 01:12 PM EST

Dear Editor:

It is not difficult for most to know that something is going wrong, really wrong, in our country. You probably realize that there are hundreds if not thousands of debates going on about whether this is the Puppets’ fault (Obama, Bush, etc.) fault, Congress’ fault or the citizens’ (taxpayers) fault?

Is it the Republicans or the Democrats?

There is plenty of blame all around, with to me a big part of the blame going to who I call the “Republicrats.”

There seems to be an agenda that is blatantly opposed to what the majority of people want. Regardless of what the people say in poll after poll, our health care system is probably about to be converted to Kevorkian-Kare, with immediate tax increases and cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, but any benefits to the public delayed for four years. Regardless of what the people wanted during the banking crisis (some in Congress admitted that they had calls 1000-1 against the bailout), we got the bailout anyway, along with super-mega payouts to the brilliant bankers in the form of bonuses. Other recent examples include the person being nominated for head of the TSA saying on video that white Christian anti-abortion anti-government types will be the primary target of suspicion for authorities.

And we thought that it was Al-Qaeda!

The list goes on and on.

It appears obvious that the agenda is set in stone, and we might wonder why the Puppets and those in “Con”gress are willing, to what will most likely be committing political suicide, by ramming such unwanted legislation down the throats of the people, but the reality is that if they lose their next election, the revolving door leads them straight to a high-paying lobbyist position, or something similar.

Those who are in whichever party is in power when they finish giving the people the shaft get the most opportunities to be offered the latest lobbyist positions needing to be filled after the next election. Meanwhile, the people foolishly expect the “other” party to come in and save them. Those running will say whatever needs to be said in the campaign to be looked to as the savior, but after the election, their attitude seems to miraculously change toward the overall agenda of the Republicrats, especially if they somehow start climbing up the leadership chain, you know, so they can bring home more bacon to their state or district.

The real question should be, “Who or what is behind the agenda?”

Is the answer as simple as just pure greed, or does it go deeper?

What I do see is that, somehow, for every crisis that seems to happen by coincidence(?) there is ready-made legislation that has been sitting on a shelf that is miraculously presented as the solution, which always somehow takes even more rights and freedoms from the people away and gives them to the government.

We are told that it is for our own protection, to trust them. Sadly, many of the “people” believe this, especially those who are emotionally tied to whichever party is in power at the time. I see this as a big part of the hidden power the Republicrats have over the people’s minds. Right now, it is not hard to find liberals who suddenly support the expansion of the war, while conservatives Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck were recently discussing how the government needs to drastically increase taxes on the people, either through a national sales tax or a Value Added Tax, or both, with no serious mention of reducing the size of government.

Does this ring any bells with you?

Are these people just “useful idiots” who in the heat of the moment forget all that they had said in times past that were opposite to what they are saying now, or worse, deliberately spewing propaganda that just so happens to support the “agenda,” giving talking-points to true useful-idiots in the public who find themselves parroting what they heard said on TV by their guiders?

No one wants to be called anything with the word “idiot” being part of the label. However, I had to admit to myself that I have been a useful-idiot for the larger part of my life. It is not an easy thing to do, to admit to oneself that they have been duped. My ongoing struggle from that moment of admission has been to work hard to keep from being duped by the next level of deception that may be waiting around the corner.

Have I been successful?

Only time and history will tell. I do not claim to know the complete answer to who/what is behind the agenda, but it seems that we, the people, are running out of time to find it.

There are, and most likely from here on going to be, several things happening simultaneously that instill fear into the hearts and minds of those who are paying attention. Problem is, while many if not most have been directed to pay attention to events like the “underwear bomber” along with the introduction of naked body scanners in all the world’s major airports for all of our safety (the scanners reveal such vivid details that in Europe they are going to have to change their laws to keep the images from being classified as child porn), that we might fall into the trap of no longer paying attention to other important issues, like Kevorkian-Kare.

Another issue, among hundreds out there, that is going to get more and more difficult to ignore in the near future is the Ponzi scheme called the Federal Reserve. This Ponzi scheme is the main reason that I started writing this letter, but I obviously got sidetracked.

“Follow the money” is still a good rule of thumb when trying to find the culprit in an agenda.

Some say that viewpoints such as mine are too negative, all problems with no solutions, and I can understand that. The way I see it, the only solution we have as the people is to peacefully but firmly stand up for ourselves, to take our country back. A huge and necessary step in that direction is to recognize what we are to stand up against. It not pretty.

Mike Baton

Bronston, Ky.

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I am a living historian and travel from Florida to Virginia taking part in approximately 30 events per year; thus, I do know something of which I speak.

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Dear Editor:
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I am writing this letter in response to the recent Somerset city limits Smoking Ban.
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Kentucky children need expanded preschool
To understand why my proposed budget expands access to preschool to 4,000 more Kentucky 4 year olds, it helps to imagine two kindergarten classes arriving for the first day of school.
In one class, the kids are bright-eyed and healthy. They know the alphabet, their numbers, and a little rudimentary math (think basic addition and subtraction). They can even read a little bit, and are able hold a conversation with adults. In short, they’re confident, curious, creative and energetic. They want to learn.
In the other class, the kids are just the opposite. Several have health problems, like tooth aches, asthma and lingering sickness caused by poor nutrition. They’ve never been read to, don’t know either their letters or numbers and can’t spell their names. They’re too timid to interact with their teachers and classmates, show little interest in anything around them and—to summarize—are completely unengaged.
You don’t have to be a kindergarten teacher to predict the outcome of the year: One class will learn, the other will struggle.
When the students enter first grade the following year, the same gap will exist, only it’ll be larger. In later grades, the gap will be larger still.
Barring aggressive intervention, the kids who began their school careers behind are likely to remain behind the rest of their lives.
That’s why getting our youngest children off to a good start—by laying a foundation of good health and cognitive development that enables them to hit the ground running in kindergarten—has been one of my top priorities as governor.
The seeds of learning are planted early in life. Earlier, even, than kindergarten. Scientists say that some 90 percent of physical brain development occurs from birth to age 3.
That’s why we’ve brought health care coverage to nearly 60,000 children whose families didn’t have any.
We’ve improved dental care for tens of thousands of children by increasing the number of dentists who treat children and bringing treatment straight to our classrooms.
We’re aligning our preschool and early care programs around a common definition of kindergarten readiness, one that guides our care workers in preparing our children mentally, physically, emotionally and socially to do the work involved in kindergarten.
And we’re seeking to expand access to preschool to 4,430 of our at-risk 4-year-olds.
My proposed budget for the 2013-2014 biennium—which I presented to the General Assembly on Jan. 17—includes $15 million to expand eligibility to families whose incomes are 160 percent or less of the federal poverty level, up from the current cut-off of 150 percent.
Bu the end of my term, I intend to set eligibility levels at 200 percent or below, which would help us add 3,920 additional children on top of this year’s gain.
Anecdotally, this makes sense.
Statistically, it’s a wise investment.
The Committee for Economic Development -- a national nonprofit, nonpartisan business-led public policy organization -- produced a report funded by the Pew Charitable Trust that studied the benefits of early childhood education. The report found that kids who had access to high-quality preschool were less likely to drop out of school, less likely to commit crimes, earned higher incomes and were healthier.
Consequently, experts say that every dollar spent on preschool programs carries a return on investment that ranges from $2 to $17.
The formula is simple—we can invest in our children early, or we can pay substantially higher costs later for things like remedial school work, basic job training, expanded welfare and prison costs.
If we don’t give kids the best possible start to their education, the bill comes due again, again and again.
Our people—especially our children—are Kentucky’s greatest resource.
To bring transformational change to our state, we must cultivate that resource by making substantial investments in our intellectual infrastructure.
Even in the most wretched financial times, there are certain investments that we cannot ignore.
But this is more than a financial argument. It’s also a moral one.
We owe all of our children—whether they live in our inner cities or our mountain hollows, our suburbs or our farms -- a chance at a promising and productive life.
And that process starts early.

January 26, 2012 1 Photo
Act of Kindness Appreciated
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Subsidies and Socialism
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‘What’s a body to do?’
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Retailers say the prices are regulated by the distributors. Distributors say the prices are regulated by the market.

January 12, 2012
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