anon in idaho asked:


Solve domestic problems first
Sure, let’s go fight for Georgia’s freedom and start a war with Russia, something we spent decades trying to avoid doing. But, surely they too will see us as Batman of the world, out to stop crime, evil doing and violence. We have such a fantastic record of bringing relief to Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Korea, Bosnia, Libya, Iran and Granada, all rational thought must acknowledge our Messianic role. How could anyone doubt our ability to solve the world’s problems? It only took three years to help resettle our own Louisiana flood victims. We still haven’t solved health care, secured our borders, controlled gas prices, planned for rising energy needs, stopped the free flow of tons of drugs that has debilitated nearly an entire generation, produced high school students who can use proper grammar, know any history before the era of rap, or work simple math problems without electronic help.

While we’re solving Georgia’s problem, we can simultaneously eliminate the Pakistani rebels, thereby putting them in a pincer between our troops there and those in Afghanistan. Duh, wait, that would put us in a pincer between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Duh well, the brain trust that has kept us in un-winnable wars in the past will think of something. The important thing is that we spend billions of our ever-deflating tax dollars abroad, while telling Americans to “buy local.”

What about freedom for Americans? The freedom to be able to buy bread and milk, to know that our jobs are safe from out-sourcing, to think that the elected officials we hired at a specific wage can’t just renegotiate their own salary any time they wish and take vacation without doing the job they were hired to do. You wouldn’t allow a plumber, painter or electrician to operate that way.

VAUGHN PHELPS

Twin Falls
http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/09/03/opinion/letters/143642_28.txt