Officials who refuse to listen

Letters

February 19, 2010

letters to the editor

by Madeline Duncan, Eubank, Ky. The Commonwealth Journal Fri Feb 19, 2010, 01:52 PM EST

Dear Editor:

I have a question many Americans are asking themselves. Can our Republic stand when our elected officials refuse to listen to the people they represent?

The American people overwhelmingly disapproved of the health care bill. Was it because there is no need for reform or because we believe this is not the way to go?

Many Americans disapproved of the stimulus bill but it was passed anyway. More Americans believe Elvis is still alive than believe the stimulus worked, yet we are being told every day how wonderful it is and another one is on the way.

We don’t want the government having ownership in our banks, insurance companies, car companies, etc. Yet, that’s what we have. The money they are using is not monopoly money and the countries they are borrowing from are not our friends. They are risking our sovereignity and our children’s future.

Than there is the terrorists and how they are being handled. The intelligence agencies have been hamstrung so much that even though the military knew the terrorist at Fort Hood was having conversations with terrorists nothing was done until 13 people lost their lives and many more were wounded.

The terrorists from Nigeria own father tried to warn us of his son’s activities but again even though he was not an American citizens he was permitted to board a plane under unusual circumstances that should have raised all sorts of flags. After he failed to kill almost 300 people with his failed bomb, he was given rights that should be reserved for American citizens when he started talking several weeks later. The information was released to the public endangering several people’s lives.

I don’t understand what is going on. Why the safety of Americans is being politicized. We are at war with terrorists. These are people whose goal is to destroy America. We need to use every means available to stop them.

Our economy is struggling, yet the foolish spending continues. Americans are struggling to keep food on the table and a room over their head, yet yesterday Congress restored funding to ACORN because it’s unconstitutional to pull it. Where in the Constitution is funding such an evil organization found? This is outrageous.

We need new leadership from people who have some integrity and leadership qualities. Leadership is not carrying out an agenda for the agenda’s sake but someone who listens with an open mind to all sides of an issue, considers consequences for each action and then does the right thing regardless of the personal cost. It is not a popularity contest.

We also need term limits. We need to send citizen legislators whose goal is to serve our country and not build an empire. We have some very fine people with good ideas but campaigns are so expensive and the pressure to give in to lobbyists so strong that it’s just not very appealing.

“We the people” want to use our own money to meet the needs of our families. We don’t want the government telling us how to think, what we can do, who we can trust and how can we earn our living. In other words, we want our freedom back and less government.

For instance, global warming. Science is inexact often and true scientists take all the facts and weigh them together. Politicians take what they want of the facts and use them to accomplish their own goals. If the climate bill (cap and tax) should pass, the American families and the economy will be hurt much worse than they are now.

I certainly got a kick out of the “scientist” who tried to explain how global warming had caused the record snow fall in Washington, D.C.

We need people who have two ears and one mouth and who are willing to use the two earns twice as much as the one mouth. I’ve never seen a time when there is more partisanship.

We also need people with common sense. We are spending money on such foolish things. We need to send people to Washington who will look at what is good for our nation not what will benefit their district.

If Congress won’t pass term limits, “we the people” need to pass term limits as they did in Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts. We need to take our voting rights very seriously while we still have them.

I still believe I live in the greatest nation in history and if you disagree with my ideas, you can thank the folks who pledged their “lives, fortunes and sacred honor” to purchase for you those rights. Let’s work together, as they did, to preserve what cost them so much.

Thank you.

Madeline Duncan

Eubank, 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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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
Dear Editor:
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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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