DEAR EDITOR:
It's like Groundhog Day all over again. Our elected leaders by their inability to aspire true greatness in the face of adversity are showing the world our incompetence as a nation that promotes a style of lackluster mudslinging, he said/she said leadership. Blame all the problems and your personal inabilities on the other guy, do and say anything to make yourself look good, never take the blame. This is anything but awe inspiring.
Maybe the president, Congress and the Senate think that they are on a reality TV show where arrogance, rudeness and just outright poor behavior is the order of the day. The end result of all this deplorable behavior and animosity is a poorly run country. We all deserve to go off the fiscal cliff because our country is insane.
TV reality shows must be a hit, because we are in for another four years of the same. Don't worry about the fiscal cliff, going off the cliff doesn't hurt, it's the sudden stop at the bottom that hurts. People like to blame corporate America for all the ills, but where do you think all the CEOs get their cues from? Could it be that our elected officials take care of themselves and close friends first and then disregard what is in the best interest of the people?
As the "60 Minutes" news reported so clearly several months ago, many of our elected officials make millions when the stock market goes up or down. So please, don't worry about our senators, Congress or the president; if we go off the fiscal cliff, they will make millions either way. In general, corporate America follows the example set forth by our elected leaders. They can operate a business poorly, run it into the ground, terminate several positions, and ask for tax payer bailouts in which our government is all too happy to comply. After all of this, these CEOs will then leave with a guaranteed bonus called a golden parachute. That's great, I love to support those who throw me under a bus.
Our elected leaders have a chance at greatness if they can put forth the principles that our founding fathers struggled for during the Revolutionary War. We are truly blessed to have a place on this earth, like America in which individual freedom is allowed. We are the beacon of hope only if we can maintain such liberty. Think of all the young immigrants who left all what they knew in Europe including their families just to come to America to have a chance for a better life. There were no guarantees given, no level the playing field, no redistribution of wealth, it was the effort you put into your work that defined your resolve to improve conditions for your family.
It was understood that coming to America only gave you a chance to work hard and keep what you earned. This may not be the case for all of them, but they gave their next generation a golden opportunity. Should we just cast that same opportunity aside now by punishing those who succeed and rewarding those who fail to even try? Should we emulate the European model and tax more and spend even more then we tax? Am I the only one that sees something wrong in this equation?
Tim Santell
Kinsman