Letters and Comments for July 9, 2009

Letters and Comments for July 9, 2009

Hospital assists VFW, vets 

To the Editor:

I would like to inform the community about one of the many things that Grande Ronde Hospital does for this community. Recently the Veterans of Foreign Wars High Valley Post 4060 in Union started a mini-food bank for veterans in need. We were given a large quantity of money to get started by Grande Ronde Hospital. It is commitments like this that our community needs.

It is so hard for veterans to find employment right now or to keep a job with all the layoffs and plant shutdowns going on. A lot of these young veterans have families with small children. It is nice to know that the Grande Ronde Hospital cares enough about this community to step up to the plate and help our young and older vets out.

A lot of our young vets have medical problems that make finding a job tough. The Veterans of Foreign Wars are here to help these young men and women who gave more than their fair share to provide liberty from tyranny. The Veterans of Foreign Wars owes a great debt of gratitude to the Grande Ronde Hospital. We cannot thank them enough for the great and generous gift they have so unselfishly given to our young men and women of the military and their families.

Bob Levesque

VFW Post 4060 commander

Union

Powell abandons principles

To the Editor:

Colin Powell recently offered his opinion of Barack Obama’s policies.

In doing so, Powell attacked the core conservative principles he has apparently abandoned.

“I don’t like slogans anymore like ‘limited government,’” said Powell in a Washington Times interview. “Keep the tax burden on the American people as small as possible, but … have government that is solving the problems of the people.”

Gen. Powell’s idea is disturbing. Government doesn’t exist to solve problems. In fact, they are notorious for creating them.

The notion of government as problem solver is leading our nation into a social, economic and cultural abyss. The government continues to overstep its mandate, and we see the consequences of such usurpation of power.

What are the consequences for those who let others solve their problems?

Dependency, immaturity, selfishness, etc.

Whatever happened to independence, selflessness and common sense? Do we want a nation of leeches and sycophants, whiners and the like?

(That is, in fact, what we do have.)

Powell’s notion that “limited government” is merely a “slogan” reveals either his ignorance or contempt of our founders’ concern that we not be ruled by tyrants. Some pundits see glaring similarities between the current administration’s policies and those of pre-war Germany. But I digress.

Powell seems to equate “limited government” with fast food slogans, such as “Have it your way.” Does he honestly believe that the desire of Americans to live their lives free of government intrusion is on the same level as that of choosing a hamburger?

Do we want a whopper of a government deciding how we get our health care, what cars we drive, the food we eat, etc.?

Thanks, Uncle Sam, for all that you want to do for me (or do to me).

Can I have fries with that?

Timothy Lucas

La Grande