The question is whether anyone in authority is listening to Bernanke, whether his sage words will be heeded, and whether it is too late even if the brakes were to be applied to excessive government spending today.
With the vast expansion in federal outlays that we have seen in the past year, come permanent expectations by those who benefit. The nation has told companies that are "too big to fail" that they can count on being rescued, the entitlement for individuals to have and raise a family at the expense of others has been expanded, and a host of new and enhanced benefits has been provided to lower-income individuals. How will the new expenditures ever be scaled back and expectations radically altered? Does anyone believe that this president will risk headlines that indicate his intent to end or reduce welfare programs?
There is a bipartisan band of profligate spenders in Congress which threatens the future of our nation and which is in the process of savaging the standards of living that this generation and future generations will be able to enjoy. Surely the president and most members of Congress will turn a deaf ear to the plea of Chairman Bernanke. They do so at the peril of every American.
Oren M. Spiegler
Upper St. Clair
Who needs work?
I am an elderly person with many physical infirmities and consequently have trouble cleaning my apartment. I placed an ad for someone to clean and received innumerable calls. Not one of the people who called ever showed up, except for one and I don't think she was interested in any cleaning. She never returned.
I then asked many folks who are on SSI and seem to always need money if they were interested and got the same results, especially after I mentioned that some things may have to be moved.
My point is that if the job market and the economy is so bad, why is it I cannot find anyone to perform these tasks for pay?
Samuel Smith
Washington
Silence is deafening
During the administration of the last president, there were plenty of dissenting letters from the leftists with the courage to have their names printed, published in these pages. Most of them never seemed to incorporate the fact that again and again the preeminent supporters of conservatism who write here, Joe Furjanic, John Quayle and I spoke against George Bush's fiscal irresponsibility.
We now have their president and party in power and there hasn't been a peep of protest. We have headline after headline of stories that just might draw at least a whimper of protest, headlines like "Obama bows to Saudi king." Didn't they howl about the Bush family connection to the House of Saud? Headlines like: Obama nationalizes GM and Chrysler;" "Obama fires GM CEO;" "Obama proposes cap and trade tax, to cost average family $3,000 more a year;" "White House party serves $100 a pound Kobe beef;" "Obama's New York City date costs taxpayers thousands."
What headline will it take for one of those dedicated leftists or the cowardly ones who comment anonymously on the online forum in letters to the editor to actually come forth and stand against something the anointed one does? "Obama declares America one of the largest Islamic states;" "Obama apologizes for American arrogance;" "Obama says no state above any other." These have all passed, and the silence is deafening.
Maybe it will take "Obama interrupts American Idol with State Of Union address" or "Joe Biden, secret Rush robot, straps tooth paste tubes and crayon detonator around body in assassination attempt on self, Limbaugh arrested."
Stephen Cady
North Franklin Township
Please don't take
Ryerson Park away
I am a 7-year-old boy who wants to keep Ryerson Station State Park open. I have no swimming pool. Probably a whole bunch of people do not have a swimming pool. Ryerson is the only place I know to go swimming. I go fishing there sometimes. You can go camping there. You can have picnics there. You can have parties there. There is day camp there. There is Arts in the Park there. There is wildlife and nature to see. If a child a has no playground he can just go to Ryerson. You can walk your dogs in Ryerson or you can go hiking there. There is nowhere else close enough for this stuff. So don't take my park away. Please don't take everybody's park away.
D.J. Jones
Wind Ridge