Several months ago my life dramatically changed when, for some unknown reason, in a moment of, well, irrational behavior, I wrote my first-ever “ letter to the editor.”
Sitting at the Williston Diner, enjoying my newspaper, the Giant game and my hour of serenity, these quiet, tranquil moments are long gone.
People just seem to read this stuff and what could be a better place to solve America’s problems than at the local diner.
But my goal was, and still is, to promote factual dialogue and debate. The old adage worked: “Be careful what you pray for, it may come true.”
Visiting, “speakers corner” in London’s Central Park and watching and listening to “average Joes” just get up there and plead their case as onlookers listened, gave me the courage to do the same here, even when my positions were unpopular. Reading “opposing letters” and hearing from those who stated their disagreements directly to me not only gave me a better view of the opposition but it really made me more knowledgeable.
Two issues come to mind:
First: Many Obama supporters claim that Republicans are the “party of no” and have placed “road blocks” preventing the president’s policies from being implemented. So I ask these same Democrats to explain to me:
a) Why has the Democratically-controlled Senate not passed a budget in almost three years, especially in the first two years of the Obama AdminIstration when they had the majority in both houses? Could it be that these Senators just don’t want to be “ on the record” for all their constituents to see? And
b) Why have Harry Reid and these same Democrats refused bring to the floor and vote on any of the 100 Republican bills that they have received to date?
Can’t wait for the answers.
Second : These same Obama-supporters also claim that Romney/Ryan have no specific proposals.
Yesterday, Romney, presented his energy plan, one of his many proposals that have been totally ignored by the media. This plan is so different from the Obama/Biden policy. Try and explain to me why hydraulic-fracturing is surging on state and private lands, while those on federal property, the only lands totally controlled by President Obama, have fallen by 18 percent since 2008.
Also it now takes 307 days on average to get a drilling permit from Obama’s feds while North Dakota does it in 10 days and Ohio in two weeks. The Romney/Ryan energy plan would:
1- Make it easier to produce energy resources by turning regulatory control of federal lands to the states, provided that they ensure safety, and
2- Federal projects now take seven years for approval. Romney wants to streamline these procedures.
I ask all you progressives, why in 3 1/2 years of Obama’s energy policies, do we still have:
1- gas presently over $4 dollars a gallon,
2- oil at $100 dollars a barrel,
3-total oil dependency on foreign dictators, and
4- unemployment rate of 8.2% ?
Don’t forget the Keystone Pipeline and all those lost jobs.
We have tried Obama’s policies for four years. Explain to me how they have worked, without mentioning President Bush.
Dr. Stephen Morris
North Hills
