Category: Sowell

The fiasco in Washington over the partial government shutdown, raising the debt ceiling and deepening animosity between Republicans and Democrats (and Republicans and Republicans), has left many asking if there is any way out of this bitter, endless cycle. There may be.

The Financial Times recently suggested that America’s largest foreign creditor — China — might want to reduce the size of its loans financing our debt.

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via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/blogs/cal-thomas/10-22-2013/just-say-%E2%80%98no%E2%80%99-underwriting-more-debt

There are many things that might have been done to reform healthcare in the United States after Barack Obama was elected. The Affordable Care Act does begin to address some of these problems:

It begins to break the bond of employers being the primary provider of health insurance coverage.

This was always an odd idea that exists as an artifact of the wage and price freeze of World War Two. Employers were not allowed to raise wages to attract workers, so they began offering “fringe” benefits instead.

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via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/blogs/greg-scandlen/10-22-2013/universal-health-insurance-lie

Back years ago when Mama was widowed, it became suddenly and shockingly clear that she wasn’t completely capable of being on her own. This was news to us because she had always stepped up and did whatever it took to look after our family. She was quite ingenious and hard working.

“Ronda,” she said one day. “I need you to call the doctor’s office and make my annual appointment.”

“Why can’t you call?” I asked.

“Because I’m afraid to. I get nervous and I’m afraid I’ll say something wrong.”

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via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/blogs/ronda-rich/10-22-2013/mama-her-own

Recently I sent a letter to Fayette County Schools Superintendent Barrow and the Fayette County Board of Education. In the letter I asked to have the local supplement for health and dental benefits as well as the pay for two teacher furlough days restored to Fayette County Board of Education employees.

Restoring the supplements for health and dental as well as restoring the furlough days would total $4.4 million out of a budget surplus of more than $18 million.

That’s correct, the Fayette County School System has a budget surplus of more than $18 million.

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via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/10-22-2013/boe-should-restore-teachers%E2%80%99-benefits

Five years ago, August 2008, the Fayette County Board of Education was threatening their employees with abandoning the employer supplement paid on medical and dental insurance. I decided to attend the August school board meeting.

What caught my eye at the first of many Board of Education meetings was the financial report of the FCBOE. Each year, the FCBOE operates with a budget that runs from July 1 to June 30. A budget report is given at the monthly meetings of the FCBOE and the board members can make financial decisions with this knowledge.

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via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/10-22-2013/boe-finances-incredible

Dear Mrs. Key, Dr. Todd, Mr. Presberg, Dr. Bacallao, Dr. Marchman, and Dr. Barrow:

First, I want to tell you about myself. I recently had the opportunity to meet and sit next to Dr. Barrow at the American Legion Post 105 meeting in support of Legion Girls State and Boys State awardees.

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via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/10-22-2013/fayette-boe-invest-teachers

Recent letters and articles have been encouraging folks to vote “No” on the SPLOST. Please consider the other side of the story.

We’re going to pay for the work whether the SPLOST passes or not. There are profound cost differences that need to be understood.

The county might not have every “i” dotted and “t” crossed as far as a total 100 percent plan but whoever does?

Yes, it would be nice to know what will happen three or five years from now, but the county is simply trying to step up and be more proactive in their planning.

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via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/10-22-2013/splost-vote-it-should-be-%E2%80%98yes%E2%80%99

At this point, the County Board of Commissioners has done everything possible to be as open and transparent in relation to the Core Infrastructure SPLOST referendum.

There have been two critics for the proposal, Mr. Dennis Chase and Mr. Paul Lentz, who have consistently stated that they do not support it. The chief complaint was that the county was not giving them answers to their questions.

The county government has given both men access to county staff and any documentation they requested, but they continued to state they were not receiving answers.

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via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/10-22-2013/brown-%E2%80%98we-answered-questions%E2%80%99

A discussion of questions and answers doesn’t sound like an editorial topic. However, recent exchanges with the Fayette County Commissioners have changed my mind.

Perhaps it will be easier to understand my concerns by using an analogy.

Five hours after the final exam, a senior walks into his high school teacher’s room and hands in his test. Proudly he says, “I have answered all of the questions so now I can graduate.”

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via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/10-22-2013/chase-%E2%80%98you-answered-too-late%E2%80%99

In reference to an article written about a young lady by the name of Amy Hill, who was hit by a golf cart driven by a juvenile, I would like to give Ms. Hill an alternative viewpoint.

I will give her the benefit of the doubt in regards to how the young cart driver was operating her vehicle.

Ms. Hill states she was heading west on McIntosh Road, in front of Huddleston Elementary school, going 26 miles an hour. That stretch of road is on flat ground starting to go down a long hill with a blind curve at the bottom of the hill. Then the road turns into an incline.

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via The Citizen http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/10-22-2013/bicyclists-vs-all-others-how-about-no-bike-zones