Letters

Is our government beyond repair?

Dear Editor,

   Our government is broken almost to a point of no return.  Our party system is not working properly and never will.  We hire these people in Congress to do the will of the people who vote them into office.  We pay them about $3,400 per week and all we hear on TV is them giving speeches that we have heard over and over and over again, but speeches get nothing done.  Instead, we need action.  No one has the guts to tell the truth.  Now our debt is so high that the interest alone is eating us alive.
   The Senate wants to cut the debt by cutting spending.  The first thing they want to cut is Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, etc.  Now where did our money go that we have all put in when we were working?  The government took it out and what is left but IOUs that they cannot pay back to the Social Security Fund because our government is broke.  You never hear about cutting out all the people hired by the government that we do not need or cutting the wages of Congress in both houses.
   We are buying oil at top prices when we have all the oil we need right here in the USA.  The government has tied up the land so no one can drill on it.  Big oil companies are ready to finance the drilling, creating hundreds of jobs, but are not allowed to.
   Now as far as the two wars, Iraq and Afghanistan, those people do not even want us there and the cost is staggering.  Russia had sense enough to quit because they knew they could not win. Other countries around the world are rebelling because of corrupt government, so what have we got in our own government but some of the same.  We do not need rich lobbyists to bribe our lawmakers to do what they want them to do.
   So the story is, we need a whole new system of running this great USA of ours that we all love.
   I am writing this as a United States citizen, born in the USA in 1917. I have seen our country go downhill over the years.  So may God help us if it is not already too late.

Russ Page
Granite Falls

---

Driver’s dread, I mean driver’s ed

Dear Editor,

As I sit here in the library administering the final exam for this spring session driver’s education class, I realize I have been teaching Traffic Safety Education (TSE) for the Granite Falls School District for ten years. I have many stories to reminisce from and many close calls, but I am very proud to say there has not been one instance of a collision or accident (I just knocked on wood)!
I am writing this letter because I wanted to thank the Granite Falls community for the tolerance that it shows to the “driver’s education car” with respect to allowing us more room and being patient as we travel the speed limit.
We always try to stay out of the way as much as possible and pull over where we can to allow faster drivers the right of way. I have estimated we have graduated more than a thousand students in that ten year time span.
Every time I look in the high school parking lot, I realize that approximately 85 percent of the students that drive took the safety class from the program offered at Granite Falls High School. I only wish that some of those same students still drove as they did when the teacher was in the car, or when their parent was in the car.
I know there are times that our student drivers can irritate you. But, please remember those feelings of anxiety and panic when you first started driving. That nervousness, coupled with the fact that we must obey all traffic laws, can make for slow going until the student drivers feel a bit more comfortable behind the wheel.
We do understand your frustrations when you are running late for work or an appointment, and we so appreciate your patience with us as we travel the local roads.
We promise to continue to do our part to pull over so you can get by, and avoid the major roads in town during heavy traffic periods. 
A good rule of thumb for all drivers: when you see a driver’s education car (whether our local Granite Falls car, or any driver’s education car), allow several extra car lengths for added safety.
It’s always best to give the young drivers a wide berth as they learn the rules of the road!
Thank you again to all of you that live in the area and are tolerant of what we’re trying to accomplish bringing competent and defensive drivers to Washington State.
I would also like to thank my colleagues for all that they do making our program a success as I couldn’t do this alone. Thanks Mike, Bob, Debbie, and Gayle. The program wouldn’t run without you!
If you would like information regarding driver’s education or have a son or daughter that will soon be 15 and need our services please feel free to contact me at thelgeso@gfalls.wednet.edu.

Tony Helgeson
Granite Falls

---

Administration needs time to fix problems

Dear Editor,

I just returned from a weeklong trip to a European nation and have seen first-hand a society in utter dependence on the government. The country I visited is in deep financial trouble because of entitlements and social service debt.
That trip was very enlightening and provided me a perspective that I cannot explain in just 300 words. I only hope to convey that if we continue on the very path we are on we have a bleak outlook.
Our leaders refuse to address social dependency and our media is predictably portraying the impact of any austerity measures on the poor and needy of our society as a judgment against action. That is all the information you will be provided.
The roadblocks to honest and realistic decision making almost guarantees our future to be very much like the country I visited.
We will very soon run out of money to support the burden we have elected upon ourselves and cuts will be made, there is no other option.
The rhetoric will increase, portraying anyone who threatens the status quo in a very negative way.  Some of the proposed options from our enlightened leaders will be politically expedient and very alluring in their intention but will lead down a path where there is little benefit.
This really is a Goose and Golden Egg scenario. The Goose is really, very sick.
I urge you to vote, not based on political rhetoric but based on real thought for the future of this nation. We can’t have a government that provides everything for everyone.  Vote for the one who promises that “safety” blanket or “protection” for one group or another and you vote for the one who will drive us to bankruptcy.
This used to be a campaign speech with little seriousness.
Now it’s the reality.

DR Thompson
Lake Stevens