Page 4 | September 17, 2011
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opinion Contributions welcome to editor@plamerican.com, (952) 345-6378
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR NATIONAL
Confusion and clarification Clarification of my Aug. 28 letter was requested in the Sept. 3 issue regarding possible ulterior motives in a quote borrowed from Plato’s “Republic,” Book 8 regarding the rich that “… their fondness for money makes them unwilling to pay taxes.” Plato and other philosophers in Book 8 and other works seek the highest good that thought can imagine, including justice and the just state, while condemning greed, according to critics. With great disappointment I concluded that problems which concerned Plato, other philosophers and the inquiring party were similar or identical to longstanding and current U.S. problems, sometimes allowing for the more than 2,000-year time differential: 1. Financial crisis: A method to achieve a fi nancial crisis was traced to 33 A.D. by Henry Adams, past president, American Historical Association, in his “Degradation of the Democratic Dogma,” page 95, (1958). 2. Corporate welfare: Unable to verify any resulting net job creation. Cost overwhelming and surpasses welfare to human beings. “Time,” Nov. 9-30, 1998 by Pulitzer Prize winners Barlett and Steele. 3. Indebtedness: Forty-six percent of U.S. mortgages are underwater. 4. Unemployment for August 2011; annual inflation as of July 2011: Note: Shadowstats calculations are based upon a proprietary correction calculated from government documents at the request of business clients. Unemployment: U.S. government, 9.1 percent; U-3, 16.2 percent; U-6, Shadowstats 22.8 percent. July’s annual inflation: U.S. government, 3.6 percent; CPI-U, 4.1 percent; CPI-W, Shadowstats 11.2 percent. 5. Wealth concentration- 400 Americans now have more cash, stock and property than 155 million Americans combined according to the Cato Institute and others, a state secret for seven years between 2001 and early 2009, according to Pulitzer Prize winner David Cay Johnston. 6. Poverty: U.S. official measure (2009) 14.3 percent. 7. Interest rates including payday loans and credit cards: Illegal interest rates have become legal since 1978. Essentially unlimited interest rates are legal in South Dakota and Delaware. First Premier Bank (SD) offered an annual credit card interest rate of 79.9 percent and stated that the response was phenomenal. 8. U.S. population: 308 million; U.S. prison population: 2.3 million 9. China’s population: 1.3 billion;
China’s prison population: 1.6 million Additional issues raised and comments requested: 1. Social Security revenues were used to fi ght unnecessary and condemned wars (see the horrifying June 27, 1986 decision of the World Court in Nicaragua vs. U.S. condemning the U.S. war effort in Nicaragua). 2. Taxes on the wealthy and corporations: Scholar C.H. Patterson commenting on Book 8 of “Republic” states Sophocles’ view that in a society composed of rich and poor a large number of citizens will simply spend money and consume goods and perform no useful service for the community; and many of the poor will become either beggars or criminals. See 5, 6, 8 and 9 above and 4 below. 3. Tax avoidance: An unfavorable view of “legal” and excessive tax avoidance appeared in the Sept. 1, 2011 Star Tribune. 4. Trusts: Living trusts, etc. provide overpowering temptation for basically honest people who receive bad advice to break the law. 5. California’s problems: Fortune senior writers quoted convicted Enron (energy) CEO Jeffrey Skilling as stating that the difference between California and the Titanic was that “At least the lights were on when the Titanic went down.”
Arthur E. Yeske Prior Lake
Perspective in numbers I am astounded at the president’s proposal of the new Jobs Act bill. After spending over $1 trillion in the fi rst stimulus, the president is now proposing almost another half a trillion in new spending? To do what? If the trillion-dollar stimulus didn’t do the magic, how will throwing away another half a trillion change anything? Comparing the president’s stimulus speech with his Jobs Act speech does not render anything new. It’s more of the same: Spend, spend, spend, and let the unborn generations bear the burden. This insanity must stop. I pray there are enough courageous people in Congress to stop this monstrous bill from passing. For many of us, it is difficult to fathom $1 trillion, so please allow me to put it in simpler terms. Simple math shows that spending $1 million per day would take almost 2,740 years to add up to $1 trillion. Our national debt is over $14 trillion. How will we ever repay it? A co-worker sent me this short and simple analogy of the budget issue. I believe it is worth sharing: U.S. tax revenue: $2.17 trillion Fed budget: $3.82 trillion
New debt: $ 1.65 trillion National debt: $14.271 trillion Recent budget cut: $38.5 billion Let’s remove 8 zeros and pretend it’s a household budget: Annual family income: $21,700 Money the family spent: $38,200 New debt on the credit card: $16,500 Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710 Total budget cuts: $385 Numbers do not lie. America is in a very precarious position. Our politicians need to start acting responsibly if we are to survive. Only by returning to fiscal responsibility, perhaps one day, America will once again be a great nation. Let’s pray it will be so.
Alexandra Matyja Prior Lake
COUNTY ROAD 21
Who will do the right thing? T he tow n f at her s mu st h ave thought the people were some real dummies. Did they think they could push through this ridiculous and ver y cost ly project, dest royi ng families’ homes and raising taxes without repercussions? Isn’t it the truth; these officials convince us to elect them with all their promises, and they fold under the pressures from outside sources, paybacks and money. T her e i s to o much s o - c a l le d
scratching each other’s back that goes on right here in this town. Too much greed and not enough concern for doing the right thing for the decent people that just want to keep their homes. Is there such a thing as an honest, trustworthy spokesman for the people that just wants to stand up and do the right thing for the people of Prior Lake?
Theresa Wixon Prior Lake
Progress is irresistible The truth is that the County Road 21 bypass will happen eventually. You may not be around to enjoy it, but be assured it will happen. The normal growth in population and traffic demands it. Interstate 35W between the south metro and downtown met with the same ostrichlike reasoning, but imagine what life would be like without it. Even if you won’t be around to enjoy it, your grandkids will. It always amazes me the fi ghts that people choose to fight. Some of you have written major treatises, resplendent with wonderful words and logical arguments, but it is all for naught, for this will happen. Progress is an irresistible force, kind of like a glacier’s slow but overwhelming movement.
Gerald Anderson Prior Lake
LOCAL HEROES
Quick actions saved lives On Aug. 10, a fi re destroyed our garage and the attached guest apartment where our son lived. I was at home alone when I heard a “pop” outside. When I went to investigate, I saw flames coming from the garage. I immediately ran back into the house and attempted to call 911 from my land-line phone only to discover it was not working due to the fire. I reached for my cell phone and while speaking with the 911 operator, I noticed two men beach their boat and run up the hill. Within seconds, they were in the house, screaming, “Is anyone here? Is anyone here?” They made sure both our dog and I got out of the house. They burned their hands moving two of our vehicles, and they stayed with us until the fire was out. We have all read about heroes and applauded and admired their acts of selflessness and courage, but when you actually look into the faces of two strangers who risked their lives to help you to safety, you then realize what a true hero is. To our heroes, Greg Thompson and Greg Lanzo, thank you, thank you, thank you, not only for making sure everyone was out and safe, but for giving me a new appreciation for my fellow man and the inspiration to be a better and more courageous person myself.
Jodie Benson Prior Lake
Of new roads and Walmarts passed by
LETTERS POLICY
The other day, I caught myself doing something that the younger me would be embarrassed about. I actually went out of my way on a busy day to go to my not-so-favorite Walmart to buy hummingbird nectar for my new hummingbird feeder. “What’s the big deal?” you ask. “All the hip kids are into hummingbirds these days.” “Duh,” I respond. Anybody who knows anything about ornithology knows that hummingbirds are tearing up the 30-something demographic right now. The big deal isn’t what I was buying, but rather the fact that I used the nectar as an excuse to test out the new County Road 21 shortly after it opened last week. I drove straight past a Target store, a fine retailer of all things ornithology, then kept driving by County Road 18 just so I could see what new concrete looks like on my way to buying sugar water for the cutest little birds you’ll ever see. The day it opened, I received 10 texts, e-mails, Facebook thingys, etc., letting me know that the road was finally open. To summarize, a
All letters to the editor submitted for publication in the Prior Lake A merican wi l l be verified before they are printed. In addition to the letter writer’s name, the letter should contain an address and daytime and evening telephone numbers so the newspaper staff can verify the letter writer’s identity. The Prior Lake American will not print any unverified letters, nor any letters without all the above mentioned information. Letters that are potentially libelous will not be printed or will be edited. However, letters will not be refused because staff disag rees with their content. Letters may be edited as space requires. Not all thank you letters will be printed. Writers should keep their comments under 500 words. Letters to the editor may be sent to: Prior Lake American, P.O. Box 538, Prior Lake, MN 55372 or to editor@plamerican.com. Call Lori Carlson, editor, at (952) 345-6378 for further information. The deadline for letters to the editor is noon Wednesdays.
Mark
GORES COMMUNITY COLUMNIST
road opened in Shakopee, and the whole town of Prior Lake was atwitter. And just like I hate hearing what happened on “Dancing with the Stars” before seeing it myself, I had to make a point to check out this new road firsthand. Apparently we need more to look forward to in Prior Lake. For two years, I have been awaiting the opening of the new section of County Road 21. At first it was because I had been spreading rumors that Trader Joe’s was coming to town when the road was complete, so I was kind of hoping
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AMERICAN
About us: The Prior Lake American, founded in 1960, is published by Southwest Newspapers, a division of Red Wing Publishing Company. We are an active member of the Minnesota Newspaper Association and the official newspaper for the City of Prior Lake and School District 719. Published weekly on Saturdays; periodicals postage paid at Prior Lake, MN. POSTMASTER: Send change of address notice to Prior Lake American, P.O. Box 8, Shakopee, MN 55379. Location: The Prior Lake American is located at 14093 Commerce Ave. in Prior Lake. Its mailing address is Prior Lake American, P.O. Box 538, Prior Lake, MN 55372. For general information call (952) 447-6669; send faxes to (952) 447-6671.
the project would get put on hold so I wouldn’t have to answer the calls from the duped. I still maintain that Trader Joe’s is considering it. Now, for the past year, I’ve just been excited for the road to open so the blood would stop shooting out of my ears every time I drove on County Road 18 and I tried to figure out which lane I was supposed to be in and how it was all going to come together in the end. So there I was, finally turning north on County Road 21 two long weeks after the glamorous ribboncutting ceremony. “Ooh, look at that nice big sidewalk.” “Aah, look at that view. So serene!” “Ooh, a nice new stoplight, too. Much better than the kind that hangs on strings like at 42 and 13.” “Aah, crap! There goes Walmart, and I’m on my way to Bloomington with no U-turn in sight.” Evidently I was so excited for this road on a subconscious level that my brain wanted me to see it from both directions that day. So I took a quick tour of Bloomington, very pretty this time of year by the way, and
headed back for Walmart. It was 5 p.m. by the time I was back on County Road 18, and it was interesting to see that nothing had changed from before the new road opened. There was a long backup at the light to stay on County Road 18, and just a few cars were zipping straight onto County Road 21. I did some investigating and found that the morning commute hasn’t improved all that much, either. So why would someone go through all the trouble to open this new highway that makes life easier for few? And just who is behind this American Recovery and Reinvestment Act? Well, I e-mailed Trader Joe’s to find out, and they had “no comment.” That’s not actually what they said. In fact, they haven’t technically responded to the weird guy from the small town who got overly excited about a new road, but if they did, I’ll bet that’s what they’d say. Mark Gores is a realtor living in Prior Lake with his wife, Emily, and their young daughter. He can be reached at markgores@yahoo.com.
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