A ‘smart’ idea?
I was on my smartphone, having a SmartWater, going in to buy some smart foods, when I had a fantastic idea as I was being bombarded by the solicitation scrum, fighting for position in front of every thriving business.
I’d join them. Why not? Who knows what percentage actually finds its way to the donated cause, if any at all. What check and balance is there to verify legitimacy? Because of my smart products, I realized that all that I had to do was make a sign and get a little box to fill up with money from well-intentioned and generous people.
The best part is that it is all year and continues well after the holidays. See you soon.
Why stop at tax pledge?
Grover Norquist has gotten most of our Republican members of the Congress to pledge to never, ever vote to raise taxes ever.
Perhaps Mr. Norquist should also get Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase and Goldman Sachs to promise to never, ever raise their fees they charge their customers. He might also contact our major health care providers to consider not raising their fees for health care.
Anyone thinking my suggestion is looney should write their representative and tell them to remove their name from the pledge list at Mr. Norquist’s office.
Public has a right to know
Are newspapers covering vital economic events like the Trans-Pacific Partnership? Like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), this is a pact among pirates for their exclusive benefit of market manipulation and labor exploitation.
This is accomplished by the creation of an entity that is above the law, and outside the reach of free-market fundamentals and consumer action. Similar to a meeting of Mafia families or a Soviet spy ring, agents from 11 countries are secretly meeting behind closed doors, hoping to silently, once again, establish a dictatorial monopoly of global proportions.
Its existence was revealed through a leak and, as a result, Sen. Sherrod Brown introduced the “21st Century Trade Agreements Act” in an attempt to stop trade agreements that put foreign interests above the law and beyond reproach.
The question then becomes, “Will Republicans agree to put Americas’ interests first?” and “Will the American media make any attempt to inform the public before the TPP puts an end to any notion of fair trade?” If history is any indicator, the 1 percent will strengthen their death grip on the world’s economic infrastructure, much to the dismay of consumers.
A threat to freedom of conscience
John Terrell’s Dec. 9 letter is a slight-of-hand trick (“Stop wasting time, money of religious crusade”).
He claims that we defenders of freedom of conscience are doing the infringing. Clever! But what he’s actually doing is foolishly supporting President Obama’s unprecedented assault on freedom of religious conscience, which is fundamental to our democracy.
By executive order, Obama insists that thousands of Christian hospitals and schools must provide the means to end unborn lives – in clear violation of Christian conscience – or shut down.
Terrell misinterprets James Madison’s early draft of the First Amendment. Like the other founders, Madison saw Judeo-Christian values as necessary for a democracy. Therefore, he advocated freedom from government collecting taxes to support an established church like the Church of England, and freedom from government interference in the exercise of religion. These rights are exactly what the religious portion of the First Amendment stipulates.
(To view Madison’s draft in its historical context, see the Library of Congress’ official documentary exhibit, “Religion and the Foundation of the American Republic,” www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion.)