Debt ceiling crisis is really an opportunity for U.S.

Letter to Editor in Marietta Times 7/30/11


The debt ceiling is like the limit on your credit card, except the federal government sets the limit on itself. Congress began setting this ceiling in 1917 so that the Treasurery could independently issue debt.

Both Democrats and Republicans tell us that by not raising the debt ceiling America will experience catastrophic failure of not only our economy but that of the world. They tell us that Social Security, Medicare and even the active duty military pay will suffer.

Here are the facts, as reported by MarketWatch and the Bipartisan Pollicy Center. I am confident you can do the math:

The federal government receives approximately $200 billion in revenues each month.

Interest on the national debt in August will be approximately $29 billion.

Social Security will cost about $49. 2 billion.

Medicare and Medicaid will cost about $50 billion.

Active duty military pay will cost about $2.9 billion.

Veterans affairs programs will cost about $2.9 billion.

Education Funding will cost about $11 billion.

Once you do the basic subtraction you see that still leaves the central governement $55 billion each month. This is where most of politians fear to go. Sure they will have to make tough choices about which of the remaining programs gets paid or cut and by how much. Here is a list of just a few:

Defense vendors.

IRS.

Food stamps and welfare.

Unemployment benefits.

Department of Energy.

Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Department of Justice, etc., etc.

So the next time you hear our fearless leaders in the 10 mile square city clamoring over why it must be raised by Aug. 2, remember "You don't ever want a crisis to go to waste; it's an opportunity to do important things that you would otherwise avoid." Now is the time, this is the place to let our representatives know-stop the spending!

Unconstitutional law can’t be seen as supreme

Letter to the Editor printed in the Marietta Times 3/6/2012

The recent HHS ruling that forces Catholic institutions to provide health care services in violation of their religious tenets is a perfect example of why something called nullification theory is essential to reigning in an out-of-control federal Leviathan. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, in the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions (1798), described what recourse is available to the states and the people when their federal government oversteps its constitutionally enumerated powers.
The Catholic church took a courageous stand against the ruling by stating they would not comply with this "unjust law." Still the Bishops got it wrong because they, like most Americans, are unfamiliar with the theory laid out by two of our most important founders. Nullification theory begins with the axiomatic point that a federal law that violates the Constitution is no law at all. One cannot refuse to abide by a law that does not exist.
Critics of this position will cite the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution which reads, "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding."
It is important to remember, however, the Supremacy Clause only applies if the federal government is acting in pursuit of its constitutionally enumerated powers, as noted by the phrase "in pursuance thereof." In other words, while the Supremacy Clause makes federal law supreme, it does not make unconstitutional law supreme.

Conservatism isn’t all knowing, but it is a guide

Conservatism is a word with an old and venerable meaning - but a meaning almost forgotten by Americans until recent years. Abraham Lincoln wished to be known as a conservative. "What is conservatism," he said. "Is it not preference for the old and tried, over the new and untried.

Modern conservatism took form about the beginning of the French Revolution, when wise men in England and America professed that if humanity is to conserve the elements in civilization that make life worth living, some reasoned body of ideas must resist the destructive impulse of fanatic revolutionaries. In the newly established United States, the fathers of the Republic, conservative by training and by practical experience, were determined to shape constitutions which should guide their successors in permanent ways of justice and freedom.

Historically, conservatives believe in the existence of certain timeless truths which govern the conduct of human society. While political conservatism would necessarily include a disparate group of thinkers and ideas, those who espouse a conservative world view would likely be sympathetic to the following basic principles:

1. Men and nations are governed by moral laws; and those laws have their origin in a wisdom that is more than human-in divine justice.

2. Variety and diversity are the characteristics of a high civilization.

3. Justice means that every man and woman has the right to what is their own, to the rewards of their ability, and to their property.

4. Property and freedom are inseparably connected; economic leveling is not economic progress.

5. The past is a great storehouse of wisdom and there exists continuity between the generations.

6. Modern society urgently needs true community rather than collectivism.

7. In the affairs of nations, conservative Americans believe our country ought to be an example to the world, but should refrain from seeking to remake the world in our own image.

8. Men and women are not perfectible, and neither are political institutions.

9. Change and reform are not identical: moral and political improvement can be destructive as well as beneficial.

Conservatism, then, is not simply the concern of the people who have property and influence. Most conservatives are neither rich nor powerful. But they do, as do all Americans, receive great benefits from our established Republic. True conservatives firmly defend private property and a free economy. Yet conservatism is much more than economic or political freedom. It involves human dignity, personality, the pursuit of happiness and it respects the relationship between God and man. It is the negation of ideology (the idea that we can create Heaven on Earth) and a denial of the cult of progress. It is the notion that this generation, by virtue of its status as simply the most recent inhabitants of our world, does not have all the answers. As such it looks humbly to the past as a guide to our future.

Confusion about nitrate levels

As a resident of Devola I am confused as to the appropriate solution to the nitrate levels in the Putnam Community Water system.

An article from June 12 titled, "Elevated Nitrate Levels Addressed," states that recent samples of drinking water show that nitrate levels are lower than the EPA's allowable limit. Nonetheless, there is a proposal to install a reverse osmosis procedure which comes at a cost of $2 million. The article also indicates that the likely cause of the nitrates are the homes still served by a septic system.

Elevated levels of nitrate were also the impetus for the new sewer project. The proposed solution for that is the ongoing $5.5 million sewer installation requiring all of the remaining households in Devola to be tied into the newly designed sewer project.

My confusion lies in that if the solution to the nitrate problem is the new sewer system, why then is the Putnam Community Water Association considering a reverse osmosis procedure to fix them same problem? Let's get this right and spend the homeowner's money wisely. Ultimately, all of us will have to pay the piper.

Chapter in local history refutes president’s view

A brief study of the individuals who built Washington County will prove just how disconnected the president is with his recent statements suggesting to small business owners, "You didn't build that yourself."

American history is full of examples of the self-made men the president insists do not exist. One such man with ties to Marietta was Robert Oliver who accepted his nation's call in April 1775 and was appointed captain of a company of minute men from Conway, Mass. He served throughout the War of Independence rising to the rank of colonel.

In 1788, he bought into The Ohio Company and moved his family to the civilian fortress of Campus Martius in Marietta. In 1789, the family settled on Wolf Creek where Beverly is today. Oliver and two partners built and operated the first grist mill in Ohio supplying Marietta with food and grain. During the Indian Wars, Oliver took charge of local military matters and became the lieutenant colonel of the 1st Regiment of the Territorial Militia.

In 1795, Oliver was appointed Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. In 1798, he became a representative to the 1st Territorial Legislature under the John Adams administration. He became president of the council and remained president until statehood in 1803. He was also elected Justice of the Peace back at Beverly.

Looking at our rich heritage shows us it wasn't a government program that settled this Valley some 250 years ago, but rugged men and women with nothing more than God's blessing and extra helpings of fortitude and courage that built this great county, of which this generation is still enjoying.