Your Letters: Monday

Dangers to liberty

I am very concerned for our country, which is in turmoil and seems to be spiraling toward socialism. So many of our citizens are jobless, billions are being given away erratically and without accountability, weakening the country and piling up unimaginable debt for us and future generations. Health reform may soon be forced upon us using a controversial loophole without a majority approval.

Citizens have not read this monstrous bill and many lawmakers don’t understand it. Who wrote it? The majority of Americans don’t want this plan. The cost is astronomical and will be a burden on everyone in increases in taxes and upon our neediest citizens, the elderly and disabled whose Medicare cut has already been announced. This is not right for America.

About 34 people have been placed in authoritative positions as “czars” Are we in Russia? Not investigated and approved, they have much power over our lives. Some have admitted to embracing communism, Marxism, revolutionary ideals, and most have radical ideas that would be contrary to the average American.

Please do not just accept these intrusions into our freedoms. Whatever our politics, we must be Americans first. Many citizens don’t realize what is happening and tend to chide and dismiss those who do see the danger to our liberty and individual freedoms. Government over personal liberty is not the answer.

Vanetta Irwin Osceola Mills

Responding to Madeira

The letter Thursday written by Michael Madeira’s campaign manager contains several inaccuracies.

First, regarding the drug forfeiture money, either Madeira went after that money, to get the county’s share to help ease the taxpayers’ burden, as he is supposed to do, or he didn’t. Claiming falsely that Stacy Parks Miller doesn’t know the law appears to be an attempt to direct attention away from his oversight.

Second, Madeira’s entire campaign is built on one crime statistic — the safety numbers the FBI rejects as false and misleading. He should answer why he takes credit for a statistic he knows is invalid instead of attacking Parks Miller for pointing out six categories of serious crimes that are rising.

Third, Madeira’s questionable record in handling cases is no secret to regular readers of the CDT. We have yet to hear him say anything about his plans to address the shortcomings in his office that produced these errors.

Fourth, Parks Miller has never defended a rapist at trial. To the contrary, she has been the court-appointed legal guardian of child victims of rape.

Do we really want a district attorney who attacks his opponent personally rather than addressing the legitimate issues she raises?

Dianne Gregg Centre Hall

The writer is chairwoman of Centre County Democrats

Set example of peace

I congratulate President Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. As a peacemaker I would like to see him withdraw all U.S. and U.N. troops from Afghanistan, a country that has long been known as a snake pit of tribal chiefs fighting each other and any country trying to invade their territory. The Russians, British and others tried but eventually had to withdraw.

If we fear the Taliban and al-Qaida, we can keep a close watch on them through keen but quiet intelligence observations.

We can be peace doves with sharp little cars as examples to the rest of the world.

Amy Weber State College

Award is call to action

Mother Teresa, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, noted in her acceptance speech, “I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing — direct murder by the mother herself.” President Obama, winning the same prize, proudly believes abortion is a sacred, fundamental, constitutional right of womanhood. Do the words “peace, peace when there is no peace” seem appropriate?

Mr. Nobel wanted the prize given to someone who had influenced “the abolition or reduction of standing armies.” Obama claims he wants to reduce abortion while applauding the freedom to abort and subsequently belittling abstinence education. Abortion clearly will increase the odds of war, the need for armies, and the decline of the economy. What a confusing example we set for our bloodthirsty enemies when we destroy the most innocent among us while claiming to be peacemakers!

The prophet said, “We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble,” words that speak to our time. This peace prize is a call to action: to show the world that America will finally lead in peacemaking by ending the war against our unborn children.

Gabriel J. Morley Spring Mills

Too much power for wealthy few

Joseph Filko’s column Thursday conflates ascribing an equal grade to all students at a class’s grade average with the concept of income redistribution and socialism. Trite!

As a self-proclaimed past teacher of economics, has he not yet noticed that the disparity of income distribution in this nation has exceeded Everest proportions? Unfettered capitalism that allows the wealthy few to determine the stratification of the income of all involved in the creation of wealth is entrenched oligarchy, the root cause of the nation’s most severe problems.

Purchase of corrupt politicians, e.g. Max Baucus, by the wealthy few fetters all serious attempts to achieve sensible health care reform, the currently highlighted example of the gross greed of the insurance industry.

Filko’s September column labeled government involvement in health care as unconstitutional. His column failed to reveal his role as field director of a large insurance firm.

Robert R. Brownlee Millheim