Radical Republicans ("conservatives") have been waging class warfare for thirty years on behalf of big corporations and the super-wealthy who fund their campaigns.
The incomes and wealth of the super-rich have increased dramatically during that time, while those of the rest of us have largely stagnated. Who says government can't be used to redistribute income? Radical Republicans have proved it works. (Of course their friends' shenanigans crashed the economy in the process, but never mind.)
Now radical Republicans are intent on destroying the remnants of the New Deal: insurance programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which guarantee that none of us ends up under the bus. THAT is class warfare too.
Total taxes as a share of national income are the lowest they've been in over half a century. Yet radical Republicans cry foul when it is attempted to tax their friends' astronomical incomes to help pay for the government services that make all our wealth possible. My heart bleeds.
- Rick Wicks
Anchorage
West fails to learn its own lessons
I occasionally find it amusing when I hear someone say that the West won the Cold War. Oh, sure, the Soviet Union is gone (replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent Nations), but what really disappeared was central control, central planning, and communism. Ditto China. It is now a huge capitalist power. Thus, the two communist powers of the twentieth century are now capitalist. They figured it out. Now the United States and Western Europe plunge into economic collapse due to failed central control, failed central planning, and failed and out-of-control socialism. More, it appears that we will not emerge from this disease in relative peace like the Soviets and Chinese did. The fight to continue blowing other people's money is just warming up here.
Yeah, like I wrote, sometimes I find it amusing. If it wasn't ultimately so terrifying, it would always be amusing to hear people continue to fool themselves.
- Mark Gordon
Anchorage
‘Rage' requires some real reporting
A stereotypical example of mindlessness exhibited during the mid-September "Day of Rage" featured a young woman expounding on the "evils" of capitalism and the current state of affairs. She appeared relatively calm (not frothing at the mouth) and nice looking, but every other sentence contained "f***ing" Wall Street or fat cats, "like" and "ya know" - the usual class warfare jargon. She maintained that she was a long-time activist, and opined that anarchy definitely should be part of the mix in any new system. Of course, that clip was all that made the news - "If it bleeds, it leads." What passes for journalism now is the old sport reporter canard where he asks Player A, "Do you know what Player B says about you?" He then asks Player B, "Do you know what Player A says about you?" and promptly sits back and writes about the ensuing kerfuffle.
What would be much more meaningful, both in terms of reporting as well as analysis, would be to challenge her to name three good things this administration has done - heck, name one; name three things she would do to improve the economy - heck, name one; name three countries that have successfully manifested Keynesian economics - again, try just one. She should also be asked what her parents do, where she lives and what she does for a living. We see these same mindless, shouting, chanting, fist-pumping radicals in the Middle East, Greece, Spain, England and now, unfortunately, in more and more American cities. You can look into their eyes and see straight through to the backs of their heads because there's nothing in between - I had a Siamese cat like that once. The only thing they accomplish is mayhem and destruction - objectives directly paralleling Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals."
- Chuck Orr
Anchorage
Cab rule doesn't go far enough
This letter is in response to "Proposal would ban accused rapists from driving cabs." Excellent proposal Mr. Traini. My only demand is that more needs to be done. We have done good by suspending the man's chauffeur's license, but why stop there? A man like that should not have the privilege to drive at all. If he is an accused rapist, then he is probably a stalker, too. I demand that his regular driver's license be taken away as well. An accused stalker with a driver's license is just asking for trouble.
On that note, many studies have shown a correlation between stalking and kidnapping. I bet that cab driver is a kidnapper too. A restraining order should also be set on any accused sex offender, permitting them to not be within any visual distance of any child.
By voting to set these laws, we are saving our community. For those individuals who argue "a person is innocent until proven guilty", get over it. It is the 21st century now, and times change.
- Kailyn Sanders
Juneau
Recent homeless survey flawed
It was reported in a recent survey that the Anchorage homeless population was a mix of Alaskan Natives, military veterans, people with mental disorders, substance abuse problems (drugs and alcohol), that they were undereducated - that there were less with high school diplomas or GED certificates than in the normal population.
I totally believe the common denominator is they do not want to work; , it is not in their mission statement.
What was not told in survey that most receive monies from the federal government, the ,state government, the municipality , and Native cooperation's, and of course the bleeding hearts provide places to sleep, eat and vouchers for food, clothing and other items. Now we are going to put a bunch in Karluk Manor - I can imagine the police responses.
We need to quit giving money to irresponsible people and make them work and not allow panhandling and begging..I do not want my tax dollars paying for someone else to buy drugs and alcohol or even food as they do not wish to contribute to society.
- Frank Adams
Eagle River
A different party this election?
Democrats are trying to pin this double-dip recession on Republicans of the past, and selling us an idea that more borrowing will stimulate real recovery - this time, and Republicans are trying to convince us that withdrawing corporate regulation will bring back "the good old days." But, in reality corporate bosses control both political parties, and "free markets" have failed to correct themselves again, as they did in the Great Depression. Lack of sufficient corporate regulation caused giant bubbles to form and burst both then and now, and an illusion of economic recovery from borrowing and spending has vanished.
What say, we support a different political party? The United States Workers Party, for example, best represents workers, and embraces a Libertarian idea of freedom in personal matters, but supports strict government control of big corporations to avoid repeated collapses of our economy.
- Daniel Russell
Willow
Something to deliver
The post office is not going to solve their financial dilemma by downsizing employees, cutting service, and dismantling their distribution network. These steps cannot make the postal service completely pay its own way from year to year. What the postal service needs is something to deliver or something to sell.
My proposal is controversial, but we need to start thinking in terms of reality, and get away from political correctness. I think the decriminalization of marijuana combined with utilizing the postal service to either deliver said product, or to sell vouchers that would be necessary for purchasing the marijuana from another vendor, possibly one in the liquor industry, would solve the problem.
I think the voucher idea is the superior one. I believe the revenue potential here would be enormous. But I ask you... is it such a bad idea to use drug money to fund the post office, especially if that drug is probably going to be legalized eventually anyway?
- Albert Bowling
Anchorage
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