Letters to the Editor

I just wanted to let everyone know what wonderful neighbors I have!

I live in the 1200 block of Avenue A and the majority of my neighbors have dogs. I have never lived anywhere where I have seen or heard such well behaved animals, and such courteous owners.

I also never hear the barking of a dog all night like some poor people have to suffer through.

So, thank you Avenue A for being such a great neighborhood!

Lloyd Pohl is a proud liberal. He takes us back to 1776, before the original definition of the word liberal was supplanted by liberals. Lloyd would have us believe that 56 liberals signed the Declaration of Independence, while a “leading conservative”—“a guy named Robertson”(?) was afraid to break with George III. It’s ironic that recently, while conservatives were praying to remain independent, a guy named Obama restored the yoke of tyranny upon us.

Lloyd wrote that after we became independent, “the conservatives” wanted to make Washington king. I wonder how many guys that was? Lloyd wrote, “I don’t really know” what conservatives said about wasting money on the Louisiana Purchase. Does he think they opposed doubling the size of the country for a pittance?

Lloyd tells us that conservatives were okay with southern states seccession, because war was too expensive. Why did they send 360,000 guys to their deaths? For Lincoln, the Civil War was not about slavery. It was to prevent seccession. Lloyd wrote, “I don’t really know” what conservatives said about the intercontinental railroad that Lincoln signed into law. Did he mean the Pacific Railway Act, passed by a Republican congress? Two private companies used government bonds to build the line. Lloyd remembers that “conservatives called Alaska Seward’s Folley.” I doubt that his own party was too upset with another huge land purchase at two cents/acre.

Lloyd thanks God for Social Security. I thought FDR gave us that. Now, Nancy Pelosi says health care is a right. I’m confused. I thought our rights came from God. Rights given to us by politicians can just as easily be taken away.

I thank Lloyd for his military service. When he was in the Army, he saw segregation in Arkansas. He wrote, “That was the work of conservatives.” Others take a different view. The National Black Republican Association has issued a petition to Barack Obama, requesting a formal apology for the Democratic Party’s 150-year history of racism. They have a long list of what they describe as “horrific atrocities” performed by proud liberals. See www.nationalblackrepublicans.com.

Lloyd wonders why “conservatives won’t spring for a little money” to keep the interstate highway system in repair. Eisenhower gave us the roads, but he also gave the federal government a guillotine to hang over our heads. What’s the first thing they threaten when states don’t comply with their wishes? They gave us “the gift that keeps on taking.” When did states forget how to build roads?

Before the new bill, laws were in place requiring health care be given to everyone (even illegals). They don’t prevent liberalism from killing over 1.5 million babies per year. I don’t know what the exceptionalism of Lloyd’s children has to do with liberalism. Liberals hate individualism. Now that Lloyd is old, he laments visiting one of Palin’s death panels. They’re Obama’s death panels. Palin just pointed out that they exist in the new law. I never said liberals were a bunch of losers, they’re just wrong. Their proposals make us all losers.

Public health has seen dramatic progress achieved through a century of public health advancements — the elimination of polio, vaccination for many childhood diseases, the fluoridation of drinking water and seat belt laws. But there is more work to be done and by building on the successes of the past, we can improve Nebraskans’ health.  Progress can be made by creating safe communities that enable people to make healthy choices for themselves and their families. Small actions at the community level can make a big difference!

Children are more likely to bike or walk to school—increasing their activity levels —in communities that have newly built or improved sidewalks, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and bicycle paths.

Taking just a moment to receive (or give) a vaccination can be a life-saver. For example, people in retirement communities are 27 percent less likely to be hospitalized and nearly half as likely to die from flu- or pneumonia-related complications if they receive yearly flu vaccinations.

Businesses are part of the solution too. Workplace nutrition and physical activity programs successfully contribute to weight loss and improve body mass index among employees.

Each of these small changes starts with someone like you who is committed to improving the health of his or her community. It’s up to you to create and continue the momentum so that together we can become the healthiest nation in one generation.

For more information contact Two Rivers Public Health Department at 1-888-669-7154 or see our Web site or click here to view a video.

I grew up in Wild Horse Valley and graduated from Gothenburg High School in 1951. I was in graduate school at Nebraska and was in attendance when the Cornhuskers had their first sell-out. I get season tickets to the football games and come back several times a year.

There is some guy named Davis who keeps writing you letters telling you how terrible liberals are—I’m a liberal and proud of it. I figure we wouldn’t even have a country if conservatives had their way.

The day the Declaration of Independence was signed, the leading conservative of the day—a guy named Robertson from Pennsylvania—was giving a speech urging reconciliation with the king.

When the constitution was being written, the conservatives wanted to make Washington king.

I don’t really know what conservatives said about Jefferson wasting all that money on the Louisiana Purchase.

If the conservatives had their way in the 1860’s, we would have the U.S. and the confederate states. The Civil War was very expensive.

I don’t really know what conservatives said about the Intercontinental Railroad that Lincoln signed into law, but I can still remember my folks talking about railroad land that went to pay for it.

I do remember that the conservatives called Alaska Seward’s folley.

I don’t know what the conservatives said about women getting the vote, but I’ll bet it wasn’t good.

World War II-time conservatives were called isolationists. They wanted to keep us out of Europe’s troubles. Roosevelt had to come up with lend lease to help out England before the Japanese finally attacked, and thank God for Social Security. It keeps me from living in a tent or under a bridge or in a cardboard box.

Going back a little, there was another Roosevelt. A conserver of numerous places, the builder of the Panama Canal—that must have cost a dollar or two.

Then, there was Truman. He integrated the Armed Forces. Later on, lots of things got integrated, but when I went in the Army, I remember Black drinking fountains, Black toilets and Black everything when I got sent to Arkansas. That was the work of conservatives.

Conservatives sneeringly speak of Democrats as being taxers and spenders, but they say Ike was responsible for the interstate highway system—that must have taken some taxing and spending. Too bad the conservatives won’t spring for a little money to keep it in repair.

Now, we have conservatives screaming “baby killer” at Democrats over the health care bill. How many poor people did health care, as it was until a few days ago, kill? It seems to me that the real “killers” are conservatives.

In the last letter I read from Mr. Davis, he said liberals were a bunch of losers. My oldest son represented the United States three times in international competition in modern pentathlon, made all America in fencing at Cal State Long Beach, and held the 500-yard free style swimming record at his high school for over 20 years. My daughter swam competitively, won about every award possible in singing and got a college scholarship to sing at Northern Arizona. My youngest son won eight first-places in one day in a swimming meet against 8-year-olds when he was only 6. At one point in time, he had run the fastest half-mile of any 8-year-old in Kern County, CA. He went on to play football, basketball and baseball in high school being a four-year starter in baseball. Then, he played football and baseball in college. Yep, nothing but a bunch of damn losers!

Oh well, my lady and I are getting pretty old. I guess we won’t get to come back to Nebraska this fall. We have to make an appointment with one of Palin’s death panels.