Published: March 03, 2009 02:36 pm      

In Your View — 03/04/09

Don’t spend taxes on recycling center

I’ll add my voice to those of The Independent’s editorial board. Not one dime of my taxes paid to Boyd County should be spent on a recycling center or even a study to determine if a recycling center should be built.

I am seeing a pattern coming from Catlettsburg. First, it was the water park. The county wanted to commit our tax dollars to build a water park and run it like a private business. Luckily, that idea was set aside.

Now, it wants to build a recycling center with tax dollars that would compete directly with a private business already supplying this service, hopefully for a profit. Make no mistake, it is profit that drives our economic system, not taxpayers.

Our economic system encourages private businesses opening, operating profitably, expanding as needed and closing if not profitable, with taxes being paid along the way. A private business should not have to also worry about elected officials sponsoring a business that competes directly with it.

I can only imagine what the owners of Rumpke thought when they awoke to read the headlines. If the county is collecting more money than it needs to provide the necessary government services to its taxpayers, it should reduce the tax collected for it is not their money.

David E. Floyd, Ashland



Obama seeks change for worse

Last week, Vice President Biden accused Louisiana Governor Jindal of ignoring the 400,000 people who lost jobs there in December. But Louisiana was one of two states that had a net gain of jobs that month.

Last week, Tyler Murphy wrote in a letter that said Governor Jindal was wrong in not accepting federal handouts from the stimulus bill. What Mr. Murphy didn’t say is that to accept, Louisiana must make a permanent change to their laws to accept this temporary funding. For example, all the states must raise unemployment benefits to some federal mandate of weekly benefits. They must extend the time period for these benefits to be paid.

Unfortunately, the federal handout is only temporary. Next year there will be no handout to pay the higher level of benefits that are paid out over an extended period of time. The states will have to do this themselves. If a state cannot afford these higher benefits, they will raise taxes. This is one way Obama is going to try to achieve all of his myriad promises, force his burdens onto the states. Thus, it is not his problem.

President Obama keeps telling us that none of these bills have “earmarks” — no pork. Every day we hear more about all the pork and earmarks that are in these bills. I wonder how long he will keep up this charade?

What are we going to do when the people who are already paying more than their fair share of taxes stop? This will come to pass. Why go to the effort to expand and make more money, when all of your efforts will just go into the federal coffers so Obama can have his way: Changing America, forever, for the worse.

William B. Secrest, South Shore.



Be constructive, not obstructive

On election day I voted for change. I voted for Barack Obama.

I am a registered member of the other party. After considering what my party had done or failed to do over the past 8 years, I was convinced we needed a change.

I am neither a conservative nor a liberal, as I have views that go both ways. You could say I am a Lib-Con. Neither party is all right or all wrong.

Since the old way was not working, I am in favor of testing some ideas that may not be popular, but let us try to think outside of the box for a change! I do not think Obama will solve all the nation’s problems, but he surely will do better than the man he replaced.

I urge my party members to work with the president and not be naysayers just for political points. Be constructive, not obstructive. We are all in the same boat and we either sink or swim together.

May God bless America!

Lane G. Fleming, Ashland



GOP: Apologize for last 8 years

Why not contrast the actual 2008 tax filings of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter with the proposed tax schedule of the Obama plan and allow the middle class of America to see the real reason they oppose the plan?

Maybe then more people can fully understand who really gets hurt in this plan. They run their mouths on responsibility while this nation now deals with complex economic issues that have global impacts thanks to their party’s infliction of eight years of targeted prosperity on the nation.

They should be apologizing, not preaching for more of the same. It’s a new day, Republicans. You are welcome to participate if you can come to the table with an increased measure of caring for the masses. But, rest assured that the Rush and Ann show do not represent putting your best foot forward!

Randy Berry, Powell, Ohio



Laws are unfair to our soldiers

When soldiers like a recent North Carolina mom get recalled to the Army under the United States Stop Loss program, it makes me feel like we live under the biggest cowards in the world. Stop Loss, which was signed into law by Congress shortly after the Vietnam War, gives the president the right to suspend all laws related to separation from the military.

The actual enlistment contract extends each soldiers enlistment contract until six months after the end of any current war — in small print of course.

Although the North Carolina mom will receive a discharge because of her hardship, many soldiers haven't been so lucky. These laws are extremely unfair to our soldiers and have made it almost impossible for our commanders to effectively run our military. They should be repealed.

Richard Hellstrom

Lexington