Have They No Shame?

By Ed Klein, Peoria, IL

As we watched Ted Cruz in his outlandish demagoguery, we were certainly not alone in comparing him to the late Joe McCarthy. As with Cruz, his fellow congressmen foolishly let him go past the time when he could be reined in. As a result, he, along with his Tea Party disciplinarians, have accumulated so much power that they brook no deviation from their extremism. Republicans who grovel at their feet dare do nothing to anger them. Loss of one’s political career hangs in the balance.

McCarthy was finally stopped when attorney Joseph Welch stood up during an anti-communist hearing and asked in those memorable words: “SENATOR, HAVE YOU NO SHAME?” Are we waiting in vain for some present-day Joseph Welch to confront Ted Cruz and his henchmen and ask, “Congressman, have you no shame?” That shame rubs off on those craven Republicans who have allowed their pride and integrity to be stolen by a small, but overly zealous, fringe group.

And so, what we have is a political party that has been turned into a herd of sheep being led to the slaughter. For those mindless toadies, the land of the free and the home of the brave is no longer a reality. They have handed over their freedom to the lunatic fringe, and in the process are no longer brave enough to confront their oppressors and reclaim it.

When one of their far-right financial backers, the Koch Brothers realized how self-destructive the situation has become and express concern, we can take some small comfort, and hope that what responsible element of the Republican party is left can break free from the shackles that have rendered them all but impotent and declare their independence from Cruz and his Tea Party buddies. Is it too much to hope that Republicans can reclaim their lost heritage and once again become worthy of the name, Grand Old Party?

Fair Tax Plan

Glen Terrell, Arlington, TX

The FairTax is a plan whose time has come. It would replace the income tax and abolish the IRS shortly after being adopted. It’s a national sales tax and would be collected by the states at the cash register when you check out. No more federal with holdings from your pay check! No more FICA. No more hidden taxes. No more record keeping and no more reporting to the government. Prices of goods at the store will remain about the same even thought those shelf prices include the tax! Best of all, everyone will pay the tax and everyone is treated exactly the same.

The FairTax is nonpartisan. It’s not a democrat or republican idea; it’s strictly an American idea consist with our founding fathers ideas on taxation. Google FairTax to learn more.

Most important; contact your representative and senators. Tell them to get the FairTax legislation out of the House Ways and Means committee and onto the floor of the House for consideration by the full congress and the American people. If your congressmen don’t support the FairTax, well… the 2014 primaries are only months away.

A Welcome Trend?

By Dolores M. Klein, Peoria, IL

Pope Francis has already made headlines when he said that HE will not judge gays, nor atheists, that GOD will. Now, in an interview, he has turned a searchlight on the Hierarchy, lamenting the future of the very Church itself, because of his words, their obsession with contraception, abortion and gay marriage.

The ongoing exodus from the Church by fallen-away Catholics, who sometimes call themselves “recovering Catholics,” has had a number of reasons. One, of course, is that the revelations that Bishops had passed sex-offending clergy on to other parishes without knowledge of the parishioners.

Another reason, the refusal to discuss differences Catholics had between ProLife and ProChoice Movements. Instead of a desired discussion, laymen were told not to approach the Communion Rail, even told to excommunicate themselves!

Older Catholics can remember a time when they were not expected to decide for themselves to use the accepted method of birth control, rhythm, but to seek advice from their confessor. Which I suspect, led to some confessor-shopping.”

Some years ago, another Pontiff called theologians and married couples to The Vatican for a conference which led to controversy over contraception. The Conference results were shelved in Rome. When the cofounder of the Cana Conference Movement asked about those results, she was publicly denigrated and insulted.

Now, we hear serious talk about priests marrying. However, the ongoing proposals that women be allowed to enter the priesthood is still evidently labeled NOT to be Discussed.

Such a stricture is a denial of Free Thought itself. An acknowledgement that the laity can use their God-given consciences and brains!

Data Mining to be Used at Common Core?

Susan Evans, Princeville, IL

Common Core is being implemented in a school near you and throughout Illinois. Parents of K-12 children might want to check out this new curriculum.

One of many new procedures is the collecting of large amounts of student data and the expansion of the sharing of this data. This personal information is not just test scores, but also Social Security numbers, attendance records, records of interaction with school counselors, identification of learning disabilities and disciplinary records. Then in addition to that, they will collect data regarding physical and mental health history, family income, religious affiliation, parents’ political preferences, biometric data, and more.

So why are they collecting all this data? What do they intend to do with it? Who are they sharing it with? Where is the oversight and security?

This data mining is just one facet of Common Core. Our children are too precious for us not to know the answers to these questions.