Letters

Letters to the editor

Highlands Today
Published: August 30, 2012

Fooling ourselves on federal spending

Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged" takes the reader through the process of the socialist mentality of the "equal-at-all-costs" society. It shows how taking away a man's worth and value destroys. There is no striving to succeed and, therefore, no improvements for society and no new inventions. With no value or self-worth, society collapses.

Paul Ryan cited that he believes in the freedom to see your American dreams come true, not Rand's rejection of religion. As a Catholic, he does not believe in every aspect of this novel. Freedom to pursue your dreams allows society to prosper.

Fact: Social Security, Medicare, the post office, Amtrak, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are all headed toward a fiscal cliff. The following comes from the White House healthcare summit on deficit reduction.

We have Obamacare that Nancy Pelosi said would reduce costs by $131 billion over the next 10 years. The CBO scored based on what they were given — which were gimmicks to get the desired score. Obamacare actually has 10 years of tax increases and 10 years of Medicare cuts to pay for six years of spending. The true cost when subsidies kick in: $2.3 trillion.

Obamacare uses $52 billion in higher Social Security revenues and $72 billion from the Class Act — the long-term insurance program. This is double-counting or we don't intend paying the Social Security benefits. The Senate budget chairman says this treats Medicare like a piggy bank.

Spending $427 million an hour is unacceptable. We can't wish away debt and live in denial. There is no endless stream of money, and there are not enough wealthy in the U.S. to bail us out of this. If nothing is done, we will end up like Greece.

Paul Ryan knows you can't spend more than you take in and not face the consequences. With nearly $16 trillion in debt, Ryan is a realist.

When asked why they had not passed a budget in 3 ½ years, Democrats shrugged.

Brenda Givens

Sebring

Short stories

With the reopening of schools in the county, it is perhaps timely to request the teachers of English to give some consideration to the reading and promotion of the short story. Many, parables in modern dress, they have become the step-children of literature and are worthy of re-examination and the teaching of creative writing in this form.

You could start with this short list to demonstrate the literary worth of the form:

De Maupassant's "A Piece of String"; O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi"; Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place"; Shaw's "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses"; Kafka's "Metamorphosis"; Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado"; and Swift's "A Modest Proposal."

This is a very short list of suggestions. The list is really endless. Our libraries used to be filled with anthologies of short stories; hopefully this can happen again. It is a garden that has not been cultivated or harvested for a long time. An interested teacher can help a writer to bloom. Open a door to self-expression and creativity.

Randy Ludacer

Lake Placid

What if it's phrased differently?

Context and phrasing may supersede substance.

If, in an astutely selected context, a congressman were to say, "The traumatic shock caused by statutory rape causes the uterus to constrict, making impregnation unlikely," would the congressman face substantial political backlash?

Jim Rahenkamp

Avon Park