VIEWPOINTS
Friday, October 17, 2008 Letters to the Editor In general, when I’m thinking about opinions, I remember the old phrase: “Everybody has one.” This opinion column got me thinking while I was enjoying a good cup of coffee last Saturday morning. I most definitely want to address Ms. Faulkner’s column. Frankly, I found her comments very disturbing and truly unprofessional. Most teenagers want to come to our event because it is fun, and they truly enjoy themselves while wandering through the maze and the rest of our haunted attraction. The majority of teenagers are not hooked on drugs. They get a natural high laughing, screaming, running and playing in this hour-long event. Most children are not raised in glass bubbles. They are currently in reality, as sad as it may be at times in this world. Our Meade County “hot spot” is a place where people of all ages come to enjoy themselves each year. Our police officers that work for us will tell you how safe our event is for unattended teenagers. These same teenagers are unattended at Meade County ball games, dances and the Meade County Fair. The column was a little over the top. Blood, guts, and gore are a reality in most scary movies in this decade. I truly have no control over the changing times and do agree with Ms. Faulkner about too much realistic violence. A good old-fashioned scare is not what people want when attending a Halloween event. I personally do not understand how she lays her head down at night after the brutal attack of a reputable community event that holds pleasure and fun for our children. We give them jobs and something to do on the weekend to keep them from partying and getting into trouble. Ms. Faulkner’s segment of the evening news did include “Frankenstein,” “The Birds,” and “Wolfman.” She was too zoned out from the start to see and enjoy the old favorites from the old horror films that we feature at this event. This led me to believe she must still be living in the “Twilight Zone” after all these years.
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Gov. plays bad hand when gambling with freedom I agree with the old Ger- hope Wingate opens the man proverb: “There is no door for them to trample on better gambling than not to individual liberties in order to satisfy their spendgamble.” I don’t go to casiBluegrass ing addictions. Gamblers, of nos, where the only Beacon course, want consure bet is that the tinued access to the odds are stacked sites on the goveragainst me. nor’s list. I don’t gamble onBut all Kentuckline, either. The odds ians, gamblers and of addiction and povnon-gamblers alike, erty are far greater should take issue than those of finding with the governor’s a pot of gold at the end of some Internet Jim Waters actions for several reasons: gambling site. But those are personal choices that Gov. Steve Freedom is threatened Derek Hunter, of the MeBeshear wants to take away. Like an errant lover steal- dia Freedom Project, stated ing away in the middle of that the Internet represents the night to spend some time “the last, best example of a with his mistress, last month truly free market left in this Beshear snuck around to find country.” Once the government a judge who would help him seize 141 Internet gambling starts down this path, where will it end? sites. We must resist the temptaOn Monday, the Bluegrass Institute sponsored a summit tion to use the force of governin Frankfort to expose this ment to impose our moral will on others. political adultery. It worked. I acknowledge there must At a hearing Tuesday, Franklin Circuit Court Judge be limits, even on the Web. Thomas Wingate wisely Child pornography, for exput the brakes on the state’s ample, should be banned lawsuit, indicating a ruling and its creators thrown in jail or worse. This despicable, would come next week. harmful practice inhibits the choices of others. The nation watches However, we better not Money-hungry politicians
Sincerely, Matt and Jan Powell Meade County Editor’s Note: The viewpoints column is a column that reflects the opinion of one person and does not reflect the beliefs of the entire staff at The News Standard. Last week’s opinion piece regarding Halloween was meant to scrutinize what society perceives as “scary” in the present day as opposed to years ago, and did not intend to conjure illwill toward any local business. The News Standard retracts any statements that may have done so. On behalf of Kerry Vowels, Jerome Morgan, Chris Hulsey and Cole Mullins — employees of Meade County EMS — we would like to acknowledge the heroic efforts of Deputy Brandon Wright. We know that in working with the public the words “thank you” and “‘atta boy” don’t come very often, if they are ever said at all. We believe that Brandon deserves both, for his quick thinking and fast action saved the life of our patient. He took his oath into police duties to serve and protect, and took it to a whole new level. Had he not placed a tourniquet on our patient’s leg to stop the bleeding, she would have died from her injuries. We wanted to make sure he gets the credit that he deserves. Brandon saved a life and we think he needs the recognition and commendation for his actions above and beyond the call of duty.
gamble our freedom away by allowing the government to choose what Web sites we access — even for activities some find objectionable but that don’t harm others. If we allow this, it won’t be long before it will be hard to differentiate our capital from Beijing. Due process and public input is missing Using the Legislature to achieve his goal, lacks appeal for Beshear since he failed to get the 2008 version to approve his top campaign issue: Putting expanded-casino gambling on the ballot. Yet, the governor should at least be forced to seduce the people’s representatives before taxing, seizing, regulating or doing anything else aimed at eroding our Internet freedoms. Instead, he wants to use the courts. I believe enough Kentuckians understand the threat posed by intrusive politicians with the force of government at their beck and call is much greater than that of a poker addict spending his Saturday afternoons parked in front of his Mac. Hypocrisy is rampant Beshear calls these Web sites “leeches on our com-
munities.” But it wasn’t moral turpitude that caused our casino-promoting governor to say that. Instead, these sites threaten in-state gambling interests. That’s why I disagree with the Poker Players Alliance. Its Kentucky director, Rich Muny, said that his association — with 16,000 members in Kentucky alone — would prefer the state regulate and tax online poker instead of deeming it illegal. Of course, many companies would opt for that policy in order to know where the safe zones exist for setting up shop free from government hassle. With that approach, however, the Berlin Wall would never have fallen. Those bound behind that wall would have said, “We’re satisfied because at least we know where the barbed-wire fence, guard towers and land mines are.” When it comes to personal freedoms, this is a time to hold ‘em, not fold ‘em. Jim Waters is the director of policy and communications for the Bluegrass Institute, Kentucky’s free-market think tank. You can reach him at jwaters@ freedomkentucky.com. You can read previously published columns at www.bipps.org.
Human failings, illusions to blame for current crises
Sincerely, Meade County EMS Paramedics Kerry Vowels, Chris Hulsey, Jerome Morgan and Cole Mullins
The Bush years will be remembered for the cruel triumph of realism over illusion. One of the era’s great illusions was spun by President Bush — that the force of freedom was so irresistible, it would prevail in a place like Iraq, even in the absence of law and order. Bush himself eventually realized his mistake. The second illusion — fed by anyone who possibly could get rich from it — is bursting now. Wall Street is experiencing a terrible reckoning: No, interest rates can’t be held at unsustainably low rates — 1 percent in 2003 — without stoking wasteful investments; no, housing prices won’t always go up; no, home loans can’t be extended to people with shaky credit histories on scandalously easy terms — no money down! — with the expectation that they’ll be paid back; no, fancy financial instruments and computer models can’t eliminate risk; no, firms can’t exist on massive debt — now-bankrupt,
Lehman Brothers had debts 35 times its capital — without courting disaster. It’s a sign of how fragile the entire financial edifice had become a decline in housing prices of about 20 percent could precipitate the current near-meltdown. It’s easy to blame greed, as John McCain is doing at every opportunity, since it’s a given. Greed is endemic to the human condition, even if it is most visible on Wall Street. Lehman Brothers CEO Dick Fuld made $22 million last year, leading his firm toward the abyss, while Wall Street doled out $23.9 billion in bonuses in 2006. But everyone else joined in the wide-ranging bonanza. As financial guru Ric Edelman writes, “The insurers got rich selling policies with fat premiums, brokerages got rich selling new securities, lenders got rich selling more loans than ever, builders, real estate agents, title settlement companies, appraisers, inspectors — everyone got rich from the ensuing real estate boom.” He could have included
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The ultimate goal of The News Standard’s Viewpoints page is to encourage frank and lively discussion on topics of interest to Meade County. Editorials are the opinion of newspaper management. Columns represent the view of the writer and do not necessarily represent the view of the management. The News Standard welcomes and encourages
the politicians who enabled AIG was rendered illiquid the irresponsible lending by so-called mark-to-market of Fannie Mae and Freddie accounting rules that say assets must be marked Mac because they knew these “govNational down to their value in the current marernment-sponsored Review ket, even if they are enterprises” — since ultimately worth bailed out by the more. This was a government at a poreform adopted in tential cost of $200 response to the Enbillion to taxpayers ron scandal that has — would line their worsened the curcampaign coffers. rent crisis. Fannie and Freddie Winston Churchill were the “patient Rich Lowry famously said that zero” of the finandemocracy is the cial contagion, encouraging and blessing the worst system except all the “subprime” loans that were others. The same could be a toxin spread throughout said of capitalism. the financial system. There is no way to elimiMany Republicans, in- nate all the human failings cluding McCain, wanted — greed, exuberance, shortFannie and Freddie re- sightedness, fear and igformed. As a largely Dem- norance — that created the ocratic cash cow, it was predicates of this crisis and protected by Democrats, are fueling it now. If we preenamored of its mission of tend there is, we only foster extending homeownership another illusion. Rich Lowry is editor of the to those who — it turns out National Review. Write to the — couldn’t afford homes. In this environment, it’s National Review at National hard to resist calls for more Review, 215 Lexington Avregulation. But it has to be enue, New York, New York intelligent and measured. A 10016, or visit www.nationalbasically solvent company, review.com.
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