Local Resident Responds to "House of Cards"

This is a response from a resident to my wife's letter "House of Cards," which ran in our local paper...
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Having had the opportunity to read last week's editorials, it is evident that many local citizens have found their presidential candidate. Ron Paul is a man of integrity. However, he advocates simple solutions for very complex problems. These simply won't work.

Why is it that Ron Paul's supporters look at the problems confronting America and immediately conclude that the most pressing issue is how to fund Social Security. Why do his supporters not promote the very laudable stances Dr. Paul has made in refusing to vote for the Patriot Act, or refusing to support the invasion of Iraq. Clearly they find it much more difficult to face being labeled "anti-patriotic"or "against our soldiers." And so it is... However, Dr. Paul cannot be fairly labeled either of these things. Neither can his supporters.

But, let's not mince words. The Social Security program is not -repeat - not in danger of immediate insolvency. The fact that every GOP presidential candidate says that it is, no matter the number of times they collectively say it, in whatever volume or shrillness of voice, does not make it true. The argument is patently false. Yes, the Social Security program faces problems, just as every other Federal program faces problems for funding in the future if we do not get control of runaway government spending that has produced a debt of $9 trillion. We do face tough choices about how to spend our money, because we've been led by the current Administration to believe that we can have massive tax cuts and spend massive amount sof money at the same time - that we need to engage in military operations against threats that don't exist, to give money to U.S. Defense contractors that certainly do.

When looking at ways to get government spending under control, why should our choice be to dismantle Social Security - a program that benefits millions of American citizens. Why not end the war in Iraq, that will eventually cost the American people over $3 trillion?

Why not reduce U.S. military spending which is higher than the next 60 nations combined?!! Apparently, it makes far more sense to takeaway money from common American citizens and tell them they don't deserve any help from their own government (while labeling them Socialists and Communists) and instead bankrupt our Federal treasury in order to have enough money to fund our corporate welfare and military spending programs. And when our leaders do reduce military spending, it comes at the expense of our programs to care for our disabled veterans - the very citizens who answered the call to serve this country.

If you listen to ROn Paul and his supporters, I believe you will conclude, as I have, that simple solutions will not solve the extremely complex problems facing America today. These problems require enlightened thinking, intense debate, tough decision making, broad citizen involvement, compromise, and, in the end, money. Don't be swayed by arguments to dismantle our government or its programs that are necessary for the benefit of millions of Americans.

Let's not turn our backs on our government simply because we don't get everything we want from it all of the time. That, my friends, is a true definition of selfishness; and contrary to Ayn Rand, there is no virtue in that type of thinking - at least not in democracy.

We've rewarded selfishness enough over the past seven years. It is way past time for a new type of leadership in America, and Ron Paul, along with the rest of the GOP candidates, doesn't really offer us what we need at this time in our nation's history.

Jeff S.
Smallville