The Economy

First of all, although I voted Republican, I give my full support to President-elect Barack Obama. We will see. A man is judged by his deeds.
It will help if we understand the problem. First of all there was 9-11, the three wars, tornadoes, earth quakes, floods and hurricanes (aid to tsunami victims, aid for malaria, AIDS and famine,) two years of Democrats saying how bad things are (how things are perceived becomes reality.) Add crooked Wall Street executives, crooked Congress involved in Fanny Mae-Freddie Mac (their directors also,) greedy people speculating on properties, filling the market with bad paper and you see it is no easy task.
It will take the effort of all of us. Citizenship comes with certain responsibilities: you must vote, keep working in spite of all hurdles, and pay your share of taxes, no exceptions. We cannot get free stuff, it all comes at a cost. The more the government pays our way or does stuff for us, the more power it gives the government over us. Was your vote dependent on a tax break or cash stimulus?
Now comes some touchy stuff (note: no politicians would discuss this.) Everyone must learn to speak English. Communication requires good sending and receiving. How can we avoid misunderstandings if we cannot communicate effectively? Those bilingual ballots were a disgrace to democracy. I thought seeking English was a responsibility of citizenship. Securing our borders must be done at the same time we address the economy.
We must ask all non-citizens the go home now. We can no longer afford the free health care. How many emergency rooms went bankrupt taking care of non-residents? Local and state governments cannot afford the additional schooling and other services.
Lastly, I have a suggestion. Take our new asphalt plant and a batch of chicken feathers to New York City and tar and feather those scoundrels. Take them up on a skyscraper, kick them off and see if they can fly.
Raymond Caldwell
Avon Park