Health care politics looks like bribery

The most glaring example of corruption in Washington has been revealed as Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Just a little over 4 years ago Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the surrounding area. Sen. Landrieu was one of the politicians crying loudest for help. Americans responded with volunteer labor, materials, supplies and untold billions in public funds for relief, recovery and strengthening flood protection. How did Sen. Landrieu show her appreciation? She sold out the very same people that rushed to the aid of her state when she sold her vote on the health care reform bill Nov. 7 for $300 million and guess whose pockets that money came from.

This was no back room deal. Sen. Landrieu bragged about it in a public statement. “I am not going to be defensive about asking for help in this situation. It is not a $100 million fix, it is a nearly $300 million fix.” Sen. Harry Reid bought her vote with our tax money. Why was this bribery not an illegal act? Maybe Congressmen are exempt from the law while in session like our state legislators. How much more of our money is Sen. Reid spending on bribes to get his bill passed? Landrieu and other Senators made clear that this was just the first vote and they will be expecting more of our money for their votes on final passage.

If this were a legitimate reform in the best interest of the people, there would be no need for the secrecy and bribery. Americans would be supporting its passage. The fact is, most Americans oppose it for good reasons. It makes me furious that the Senate leadership is using my hard earned money to buy votes for a bill that will take away my freedom of choice over my health care. It makes me furious that a Senator would sell out the people that came running to her aid when she needed it. Finally, it makes me furious that we have elected officials who are so accustomed to corruption that they no longer feel they need to hide it. Edward Abbey, American author and essayist, said, “A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against its government.”

Are you going to tolerate this brazen corruption or are you willing to defend this country by taking a firm stand against it? America needs you and your vote more now than ever before to confront this domestic enemy called corruption.

Raymond Settle

Blue Mountain Orwellian schemes won’t answer health needs

The American people have spoken. They oppose government-run health care by a wide margin.

What Americans want are common-sense, responsible solutions that address the rising cost of health care and other major problems.

Moreover, Americans want a stop to the insane modern progressive policies and corruption that are bankrupting America and mortgaging the future of our children and the future generations of our nation.

The overwhelming majority of Americans want a plan for common-sense health care reform our nation can afford.

No one can deny that virtually every federal government entitlement program is a cesspool of corruption, waste fraud and abuse. As much as $500 billion just in Medicare and Medicaid alone are being wasted.

During this massively overcomplicated, ridiculous process of crafting these various Orwellian versions of “health care reform” no one can even agree on how many actual “uninsured” Americans there are.

There are four basic common-sense reforms that will lower health care costs and expand access to quality care without a massive government takeover of our nation's health care system that kills jobs, raises taxes on small businesses, or cuts Medicare for seniors:

- Let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines.

- Allow individuals, small businesses, and trade associations to pool together and acquire health insurance at lower prices, the same way large corporations and labor unions do.

- Give states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that lower health care costs.

- End junk lawsuits that contribute to higher health care costs by increasing the number of tests and procedures that physicians sometimes order not because they think it's good medicine, but because they are afraid of being sued.

If our government cannot manage the basic task of maintaining our borders and effectively enforcing our immigration laws, it is ludicrous to even begin to consider ANY further broadening of federal powers.

Linda Simons

Caledonia Allow Ole Miss to lead as Southern school

First as a student and later as an alumus of the University of Mississippi, I have repeatedly been bewildered at the insistence of various persons in promoting the rise of a controversy where none previously existed and none should exist. Prior to the creation of an issue regarding the chant “the South will rise again” by individuals apparently having no higher goal than the creation of controversy for the sake of controversy, a public controversy did not exist in regard to this matter.

We have repeatedly seen the creation or revival of issues relating to an unpleasant chapter in the history of our state’s flagship university in an attempt to distract attention from other issues. In the absence of any other concern at the moment, the current controversy seems to have been created by an apparently very small group of individuals who wish to impose their view of a politically correct society upon everyone.

I have long believed that the University of Mississippi would be far better served if its leaders would embrace the fact that this is the University of Mississippi rather than continually attempting to force Ole Miss into the mold of just one more mundane or indistinctive college. The university’s leadership should concentrate on developing Ole Miss into America’s great Southern university while embracing the fact that Ole Miss is located in the South and more particularly in Mississippi. The goal should be to move forward, embracing and championing all that is great about the state and region of our nation in which we are privileged to live.

Surely the creation of a Harvard of the South to rival Vanderbilt academically is preferable to the continued attempt to become just another college.

Ole Miss should strive to become a shining example of the South which has in fact risen again, becoming a university which has risen above the imaginative controversies of the politically correct to recognize and celebrate all that is unique and great about the South.

Preston Ray Garrett

Oxford History enthusiast takes issue with descriptives

I applaud the City of Tupelo’s decision to put a marker on the important prehistoric site on Veterans Boulevard, and I appreciate those who helped in obtaining the funds to do this. However, I find that some of the information on the marker and in the Daily Journal article dated Nov. 16 could be easily misleading.

First of all, when the word “mound” is used in association with a Native American site, it would indicate to most people (myself included) that this would be either a manmade burial or temple mound. According to archaeologists from Mississippi State University, this site is neither.

An archaeological survey was done several months ago with the city’s approval and at my request. The team spent a day examining and collecting anything that could help in identifying and dating this site.

The information that I received from the archaeologist in charge was as follows: This “natural knoll” was intermittently occupied by Native Americans during the Middle and Late Woodlands Periods, in the years between 200 BC and A.D. 950 (approximately 1,000 to 2,200 years ago). This location gave easy access to the creeks to the west and to the hills to the east. Other artifacts here indicate this site was visited as early as 3500 B.C. (approximately 5,500 years ago).

Mound construction did not begin in our state until approximately 2,100 years ago and continued for another 1,800 years or until the early 1700s.

While this site does not fall into the burial or temple mound category, it does not lessen its importance and should be preserved.

The spears that were reported to have been found here, to my knowledge, have never been documented.

Buddy Palmer

Native American historian

Tupelo The good, bad and ugly found on Wall Street

Our tax money probably avoided another Great Depression (that is the good), but the monies, as most people know, never reached small businesses to create jobs. Goldman Sachs and other companies used those monies to buy stocks and make huge profits (that would be the bad). Warren Buffet did not invest billion in Goldman Sachs for nothing.

Personally, I think those companies should either start getting those monies to small businesses or pay it back.

By the way, Bush's bailout and Obama's bailout were both misused by these companies.

Common sense tells most people this economy is going to be very slow to comeback. But, having said that, this is certainly not just one man’s fault. The system failed us because of the greed of Wall Street.

If you have an answer to Wall Street, please tell us and stop blaming Obama for this mess. The Republicans certainly have not helped our country come together by backbiting and second-guessing the Obama administration. I don’t know what it will take to pull this country together, but we need some answers, not second-guessing and complaining.

The Republicans are trying their best to put the blame on Obama, but trust me, most Americans know this mess was not caused by Obama. He inherited this mess.

I always thought a man deserves a chance. The Republicans were “bad-mouthing” Obama before he took the oath of office. Obama did not start the bailouts, President Bush stated the bailouts. But, all of sudden, when Obama does the same thing, it seems very unfair. I would almost never throw a man under the bus after only 10 months on the job, but many are trying to fire the coach before his first season is over.

Personally, being an independent, I see fault on both sides, Democrats and the Republicans, but to put this mess on one man, again, does not seem fair.

It will take Democrats and Republicans working together and doing the right thing to get us out of this mess. The "blame game" is not the answer to our problems!

Quay Parks

Saltillo