Response to Biggs letter
This is in response to the letter by Richard Biggs’ ‘RE: Presidential politics’ (Sept. 17 issue). I just have to point out a couple of things to Mr. Biggs. First off, it is completely erroneous that Obama has proposed to raise middle class taxes.
In fact, if he has proposed anything with regards to the taxes paid by the middle class, it has been the opposite: LOWER them. He is in favor of raising taxes for the very rich-perhaps the same people who are responsible for you losing your job six months ago.
And that brings me to my second point, your claim that “at least under Bush I still had a job”. OK, true enough, but isn’t it also true that under Bush you lost a job?
Caryn Connelly
Oakwood
Check facts and click on issues
I am sorry to hear that Mr. Biggs lost his job, but it is not the fault of the Democrats. We have had a Republican administration in the White House for eight years and a slim Democratic majority is Congress for only 18 months. He is wrong to blame his job loss on Democratic polices. Like many Republicans, he seems to believe that if he repeats something often enough (and loudly enough) it becomes truth. The Republican mantra is Obama will raise taxes on the middle class and on corporations.
But the truth about Obama and taxes is this: Obama plans to reduce taxes for Americans making less than $250,000/year, provide tax credits to individuals and families and eliminate income tax for seniors making less than $50,000/year.
He plans to provide tax credits for companies that keep jobs here. There is also a plan for tax incentives for technology research and development by American companies along with tax relief to small businesses and start-ups. The only companies, under Obama’s plan, that will suffer increased taxes are those that send American jobs overseas.
Obama co-sponsored with Sherrod Brown (D-Oh.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill) a bill that provides tax credits for companies that maintain and increase the number of full time American workers, maintain corporate headquarters in this country, pay decent wages, provide healthcare benefits, support employees who serve in the military, and prepare workers for retirement.
None of this sounds like a threat to the middle class or patriotic corporations to me.
I suggest that those who truly want to exercise their most fundamental civic responsibility in an informed, rational vote will visit Obama’s website and click on issues. Better yet. visit factcheck.com, a non-partisan site that compares the candidate’s positions on issues.
A presidential ballot is a terrible thing to waste!
Karen Ander Francis
203 Forrer Blvd.
Oakwood
Civilized debate called for
Oakwood Register editor Lance Winkler recently exhorted readers, in their letters to the editor this election season, to “Feel free to go nuts. Plagiarize! Disembowel! Excoriate at will!” If any of these suggestions were even slightly advisable, our responses would be better applied only to Mr. Winkler, and not to our neighbors who take the time to put their (hopefully) well-considered opinions into (hopefully) well-written letters and sign their names to them. Mr. Winkler is trying to sell ad-space, not to promote discourse, civilized or otherwise. Advertisements keep his paper in business, and so that is at least as important to him as the quality of the reporting in the Register. We should not, however, go out of our way to be even more offensive to each other than we already (it seems to me) tend to be, nor should we lend ourselves to fulfilling the editor’s goals.
Instead, we, arguably the most privileged citizens in the area, should take upon ourselves the task of truly civilized debate. We who boast of our college alma maters on our cars and house-banners should fulfill our responsibilities to society by acting like we learned something in school. We, of all people, presumably wish to preserve and defend our wonderful American way of life, even if only out of self-interest. Spitting our vitriol at each other will not contribute to that goal, but will instead – at least in my opinion – hasten the dissolution we see around us (literally and figuratively) and read about every day.
Do we not hope to convince our neighbors to think and act and vote according to our own informed and fact-based opinions? Do we not hope to disabuse our friends of their own misinformed and ill-considered notions so that they might think like us and later thank us for saving Oakwood and Ohio and the nation from ruin and calamity? Are we really not capable of expressing our selves in a convincing manner without resorting to excoriation? In my time in Oakwood, I’ve concluded that we are,
individually, an interesting brew of “liberal” and “conservative”, of bleeding heart and social-Darwinist. Can we not capitalize on that mix within ourselves so as to concoct something uncommon and uplifting, something that might truly contribute to our own well-being as well as to that of those less-privileged? I know we can. But will we?
Resist Mr. Winkler’s exhortations! Dig deep and find it within yourself to communicate with your neighbor in ways that you would respect. Overcome the temptation to express yourself in common ways. Oh, and vote for Barack Obama (and, yes, for his plagiarist running-mate).
Jeff Moore
Oakwood
‘Man of steel’ vs. ‘glowing potential’
Replying to the letter ‘McCain wrong man for job,” I would submit he is exactly what is needed at this time in our country’s history. This is not to detract from his opponent, who is an enormously talented man who reminds me of JFK. There is no question in my mind that someday Obama will be president, but his resume is far too thin personally. Remember, when JFK became president in 1960 he had been a House member for three terms and then a senator for eight years.
I would agree that Sarah Palin is woefully short of qualifications but she is not running for president. Obviously, she was chosen to placate the the loony Rush Limbaugh wing of the Republican party which, unfortunately, McCain must solidify in order to win. Regarding qualifications, John McCain is a man of steel, which he proved many times at the Hanoi Hilton. More importantly, he has shown many times that he is not a prisoner of right wing ideology and has crossed the partisan divide to craft important legislation with such Democratic stalwarts as Russ Feingold and Ted Kennedy. Likewise, keep in mind that in 2009 Congress will be heavily Democrat and will need someone like McCain to moderate their left wing agenda. Check history: our country does bet ter with divided government, e.g. 1980’s – a Republican president with a Democratic congress and in the 1990’s just the opposite. Compare to the Carter years and the second Bush years when we had essentially one-party rule. Bottom line: go with experience, not glowing potential.
Mike Holz
Dayton
A naturalized citizen’s opinion…
On reflection, George W. Bush’s administration has ruined the first eight tenths of the first decade of this young 21st century by, among other things, fooling the American people into waging a costly and unnecessary war in Iraq and causing mayhem in our financial markets.
As a “Brit” and naturalized citizen without any lifelong party affiliation, I offer perspective to this critical U.S. general election with the following analysis of the candidates’ policies, values and fitness to lead.
It would seem to me that in these turbulent global times we need a president who is not only respected by other world leaders as an intelligent, analytical, strategic, problem-solving leader with a full understanding of the complexities of foreign policy and the world economy, but is also able to quickly absorb new information
and make sensible decisions based on experience and skill.
From what I have read and seen, Barack Obama displays all these attributes. In the positions he has held, he has shown himself to be a vigorous and pragmatic leader who seeks the perspective of many diverse sources before making decisions. In today’s world, we need a thinker and a doer, not just an incurious, knee-jerk reactor to situations. As seen in Barack Obama’s management of his primary and general campaigns, his Democratic Convention and his comprehensive manifesto published in the new book “Change We Can Believe In,” Barack has clearly shown the hopeful and positive direction in which he wants to lead this country economically, strategically and socially.
In contrast, the McCain/Palin ticket is increasingly showing itself to be a puppet of the manipulative and underhanded Carl Rovian tacticians used for the last eight years by the Bush team. A once-laudable John McCain seems to have lost his moral compass and, with no new message, he and his new partner have taken the low road of cynicism, sarcasm and lies, putting politics over policy and our future. The desperate selection by Mr. McCain of Sarah Palin as VP, who, by all accounts is a totally under-qualified, dogmatic, scheming and vindictive individual, shows that using Republican smoke-and-mirrors politics to win at all costs is more important to him than the imperative of restoring this wonderful nation to the land of opportunity that drew me to it 23 years ago.
Tim Benford
132 Greenmount Blvd.
Dayton, OH 45419
Kudos to community, Service Dept.
I would like to thank the Community as a whole for their tremendous support during this tragic weather event. Dozens of our citizen’s came out as I was on a traffic post asking how they could help. My only reply was “help your neighbors” and the response was fantastic.
I would like to take this opportunity as both a Oakwood FOP member and resident to thank the truly unsung hero’s of this devastating storm, the Service Department employee’s. They worked agonizing hours in very difficult conditions clearing roads, opening traffic to pedestrians and still picked up my trash on Monday morning....INCREDIBLE.
A job well done!
Terry Hall
Oakwood FOP Lodge 107
Oak Knoll Drive has a speed limit of 25 mph, although it appears to have become a speedway for many of our residents, as well as drivers from neighboring communities. In addition, very few people observe the four-way stop signs at the corners of Oak Knoll Drive and Roanoke Avenue, either speeding right through or executing some form of a rolling stop. This seems especially true of lawn care and private package delivery vehicles. This is both incredibly dangerous and inconsiderate.
We have many children on our street, as well as pets. I find it hard to believe that those who speed through our street with no regard for stop signs would do the same on their own streets, put their children at risk, endanger their family pets, or exhibit such wanton disregard for others.
We ask the Oakwood police to assist us by enforcing the speed limit and driving regulations on Oak Knoll Drive. And we ask our neighbors and friends to please exhibit safe and courteous driving by observing the speed limit and coming to a full stop at the stop signs.
Thank you.
Concerned Residents
of Oak Knoll Drive
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September 23, 2008
Volume 17, No. 39
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