There is virtually no instance in which these folks recommend cutting their benefits, pooling secretarial services, reducing use of planes, trains and automobiles. No mention of cutting back taxpayer paid conventions and junkets, no cuts in their energy costs and above all, no cuts in politically generated waste.
Nearly every handout from the federal and state government now contains a percentage they know will be stolen. Check Hurricane Katrina relief. Check the TARP funds. The stimulus package(s) can't be audited, so no one knows how much is spent, how much is stolen and how much is handed out to political patrons.
The scam is: "Don't take my policeman off the beat. Don't close my school or cut my kid's music program. Please tax me more, I'm willing to pay."
The bureaucrats' reply is sure to be: "Now you've given us something we can work with."
P.S. Keep Virginia Lyons of Parkersburg, W.Va. and her truth-detecting divining rods the heck away from Harrisburg and Washington, D.C.
Daniel Morris
Waynesburg
Don't whack kitty
I am appalled that our newspaper would even consider printing the atrocious article about the Whack-A-Kitty game. The makers say they are big animal lovers! Why don't people think about the repercussion of such an idiotic idea? They should be ashamed.
Linda Tustin
Washington
Students represent area well
The last week of May, I had the privilage of attending the Odyssey of the Mind World Championships at Iowa State University. While prepairing teams from my school district, I noticed that there would be a team from Trinity High School representing Washington and the state of Pennsylvania.
As a former resident of Washington, which was my parents' home town, I tried to locate this team. After three days of trying, I was ready to give up on finding them. After all, there were only about 9,000 students from 12 countries there. However, as I was on my way to watch one of the competitions, I was speaking to a lady about fundraising projects and school support, and she intoduced herself as the Trinity coach. We immediatly began talking about some of my relatives who lived in the area, and who had attended Trinity. I even told her about my late uncle, Tony Macre, whose house overlooked Trinity High.
Later that day, I ran into her again with her team. We spoke again for a while, about Washington. The students were very polite and well spoken. They were also interested in my memories of Washington from "back in the day."
You should be very proud of your students. They represented your community as wonderful ladies and gentlemen. By the way, they finished third in their division in the World Finals.
Sam Macre
Blytheville, Ark.
GM takeover is a security issue
I know the O-R isn't owned by Rupert Murdoch, but it might as well be. Most of the political items printed in the O-R come right from his playbook especially the political cartoons. Most are drawn by artists who represent the 21 percent of the far right wing.
The latest on June 3 is an example. It faults the government for trying to save General Motors. I take exception to that cartoon not on a political basis but on a security one. If GM ceases to exist, who is going to build the tanks and military vehicles we will need in case we get into another war?
Richard F Legeza
Monongahela