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McCook Gazette
Letter to the Editor

Rising blood pressure

Monday, February 3, 2014

Dear Editor,

President Barak Obama's State of the Union address caused my blood pressure to fluctuate.

Average Americans are not looking at our country's problems through rose-colored glasses. We are being realistic. We know that our economy is insecure. It is obvious to most of us that the Taliban and al Qaeda are a big threat to our national security.

As far as Iran is concerned, we are wondering if it really intends to scale back on production of nuclear weapons.

2014 is the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty. Yet, according to the Washington Post food stamps are needed to keep 4 million people out of poverty.

A number of citizens have searched for jobs and have not found them. Many people have taken part-time employment in order to survive.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has pointed out that children from one parent homes are more likely to live in poverty. They also receive less education, especially if they have unmarried parents, according to national surveys.

The fact remains that our U.S. government has grown too large. In addition, we are facing uncertainty over immigration reforms, attitudes toward military deployment, providing adequate health insurance, improving a faltering economy and establishing a better cooperation between our Senate and House. Meanwhile Obama is acting on his own.

Helen Ruth Arnold,

Trenton, Nebraska

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  • More people are out of work, on welfare and/ or food stamps than since the Great Depression. The Obama/liberal economy plan has failed.

    -- Posted by dennis on Mon, Feb 3, 2014, at 4:46 PM

  • She says -- "Average Americans are not looking at our country's problems through rose-colored glasses" -- It should be noted that the vast majority of Americans have little or no concern about the country's problems. They tend more often to have a great concern for their own problems. As one would expect.

    -- Posted by bob s on Mon, Feb 3, 2014, at 8:52 PM

  • First thing I'd like to know is specifically how are the Taliban and Al Qaeda a threat to our national security? I'd say a larger threat looms in the gross inequality of income and personal wealth.

    I suspect Bob S. is entirely correct. The major concern anyone might have for national problems would be the personal impact.

    -- Posted by davis_x_machina on Thu, Feb 6, 2014, at 9:17 AM

  • I agree, we must do more to open the doors of opportunity to the poor so they too can enjoy upward economic mobility. Simple things like finishing high school, taking advantage of job training and learning an applicable trade. Learning what it takes to start and grow a business of their own would certainly help.

    But since these thing take effort and wise life choices, so nevermind, the gap remains.

    -- Posted by Hugh Jassle on Thu, Feb 6, 2014, at 1:41 PM
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