i think i like the editors version of my letter better than mine; here it basically is:
Columnist wrong on what ails economy
OK, John (Jack) Hanbury has presented the Republican view of the economy perhaps as well as it can be presented. I’m just as interested in how many Democrats wrote in about this latest political assault.
Yes, please let us Democrats present the other side in this not-so-complicated issue. Our side of the argument goes, of course, that if President Obama had not taken the bold steps he did to assure citizens and stimulate the economy, we would even now be in the throes of probably our greatest depression.
Let’s examine just one of Jack’s assertions in his Tuesday column: “He (President Obama) plays the class warfare card by insisting on increasing taxes on the ‘rich’, which will kill jobs rather than increase revenues.”
President Obama is much too much the realist to insist on anything from our polarized legislative branch of government. He merely points us in what I think is the right direction. And rest assured, anyone who’s reading, I am not alone in believing this man is quite simply the Great White Hope.
And when I write “white”, I mean “rich” (Was Jack trying to hide money, putting that word in quotes like he did?). We are so rich in this country. Obviously we can’t afford to keep borrowing, but the president acknowledges this and is making plans (which we can help bring to fruition) to rectify our situation. What we need to do is recognize, like the famous Chinese philosopher, that “from economy comes generosity,” and let our government become yes, much more conservative (I’ve said for years that Jesus should also be known as the Great Conservative for his insistence that we adhere to God’s own principles) by giving more liberally to causes which seek to alleviate the poverty which tragically afflicts so many.
And the bad news is that the situation appears to be worsening. The Economist online says world food prices are up 48.8% in the past year. Another source said grain prices are up 70% since (February) 2010. I’m sure at this point the richest 10 percent of the population control 50 percent of the wealth. 24,000 people die every day of hunger-related causes. Surely Republicans and Democrats can agree that our haves and have-nots status quo is simply an abomination.
Surely we have proven that tax cuts for the rich do not result in jobs. Surely there are enough thinking people in the country to realize that the rich citizens of this country do not need further assurances of any kind that it is in everyone’s best interests to spend as much money as possible, especially rich people who are involved in private sector interests. Hire somebody, is what I want to say. That’s what the president has been saying. Rich people can afford to help more than middle-class people, who can afford to help more than poor people, who can afford to help more than the teeming multitudes of destitute people trying desperately to survive.
Come on, the housing market collapse was Republican-instigated just as surely as the savings and loan fiasco. A “decline in existing home sales” is part of what the Republicans want us to believe is due to two years of a Democrat in the White House?
Come on Democrats, get involved! Let’s see if we can’t convince the Republicans that they’re not just deluded, they’re immoral.
Joel Parker
Petal
here's the letter basically as submitted:
June 14, 2011
Editor, The Hattiesburg American:
Okay, John (Jack) Hanbury has presented the Republican view of the economy perhaps as well as it can be presented. I’m just interested in how many Democrats wrote in about this latest political assault.
Yes, please let us Democrats present the other side in this not-so-complicated issue. Our side of the argument goes, of course, that if President Obama had not taken the bold steps he did to assure citizens and stimulate the economy, we would even now be in the throes of probably our greatest depression.
Let’s examine just one of Jack’s assertions in his Tuesday column: “He (President Obama) plays the class warfare card by insisting on increasing taxes on the ‘rich’, which will kill jobs rather than increase revenues.”
President Obama is much too much the realist to insist on anything from our polarized legislative branch of government. He merely points us in what I think is the right direction. And rest assured, anyone who’s reading, I am not alone in believing this man is quite simply the Great White Hope.
And when I write “white”, I mean “rich”. (Was Jack trying to hide money, putting that word in quotes like he did?) We are so rich in this country. Obviously we can’t afford to keep borrowing, but the President acknowledges this and is making plans (which we can help bring to fruition) to rectify our situation. What we need to do is recognize, like the famous Chinese philosopher, that “from economy comes generosity”, and let our government become yes, much more conservative (I’ve said for years that Jesus should also be known as the Great Conservative for His insistence that we adhere to God’s own principles) by giving more liberally to causes which seek to alleviate the poverty which so tragically afflicts so many.
And the bad news is that the situation appears to be worsening. The Economist On-line says world food prices are up 48.8% in the past year. Another source said grain prices are up 70% since February 2010. I’m sure at this point the richest 10% of the population control 50% of the wealth. 24,000 people die every day of hunger-related causes. Surely Republicans and Democrats can agree that our haves and have-nots status quo is simply abomination.
Surely we have proven that tax-cuts for the rich do not result in jobs. Surely there are enough thinking people in the country to realize that the rich citizens of this country do not need further assurances of any kind that it is in everyone’s best interests to spend as much money as possible, especially rich people who are involved in private sector interests. Hire somebody, is what I want to say. That’s what the President has been saying. Rich people can afford to help more than middle-class people, who can afford to help more than poor people, who can afford to help more than the teeming multitudes of destitute people trying desperately to survive.
Come on, the housing market collapse was Republican-instigated just as surely as the Savings & Loan fiasco was. A “decline in existing home sales” is part of what the Republicans want us to believe is due to two years of a Democrat in the White House?
Come on Democrats, get involved! Let’s see if we can’t convince the Republicans that they’re not just deluded, they’re immoral.
Sincerely,
Joel Parker