‘Sunshine patriots’ deserting Obama
“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country….,” wrote Thomas Paine in 1776 to a disheartened, losing Continental Army that would win the Battle of Trenton, turning the tide for colonists.
The above brings to mind Velma Hart, a town hall attendee, opining to President Obama, “Quite frankly I’m exhausted – of defending you, your administration, defending the mantle of change I voted for and am deeply disappointed with where we are right now.”
This was the U.S. economy a month after Lehman Brothers folded: banks had stopped lending, companies couldn’t get loans to meet payroll or pay suppliers. Real GDP, in the fourth quarter of 2008, dropped by 6 percent and we lost 1.7 million jobs, the largest drop in 65 years. Net household worth dropped by $5 trillion, the largest and fastest drop ever recorded; the crisis was spreading globally with trade contraction.
With the bipartisan TARP, U.S. unemployment was 10 percent, instead of 25 percent, and the cost to government, in the end, will be only a fraction of the $700 billion investment.
Yes, I’m disappointed that the stimulus wasn’t $1.6 trillion as Paul Krugman advocated, that health-care reform didn’t include the public option, that financial reform didn’t include a $50 billion fund for and by banks.
Most of all, I’m disappointed in “sunshine patriots” like Velma Hart. Surely that doesn’t represent the spirit driving the colonial effort at Trenton.
JULIA K. GOUVEIA Muncie
Pet parents must make wise choices
As a cat lover it often saddens me to see cats outside, especially when I see that they have been run over by a car. So I was pleased to see an article in the Oct. 10 Journal Gazette, “Roaming cats decimating bird populations,” that advised cat owners to keep their cats indoors at all times.
The article detailed the impact that outdoor and indoor/outdoor cats have had on the wild bird population and cautioned cat owners that their own pets could be putting a dent in the bird population.
In addition to protecting birds, there is another very good reason to keep cats indoors – they will live a lot longer as house cats than they will running the streets. There are many dangers for cats outside, such as: wild animals, dogs, cars, cruel people, intemperate weather and chemicals. Indoor/outdoor cats have about a quarter of the lifespan of indoor-only cats.
Honestly, a 5-year-old child would be safer staying outside all night than a cat. At least the child understands that cars drive down the street and we shouldn’t lick puddles.
I have asked cat owners why they let their cats roam outside and a common answer is, “He wants to go outside.” When I was little, I wanted to be Tinkerbelle, but my mom didn’t push me out of the window and throw glitter at me. Pet owners are like parents to a pet. The owner should make the decision, not the pet.
LISA GERARDY Fort Wayne
Dupont paving: Will it ever end?
Is anyone other than me tired of dodging barrels on Dupont Road?
How long can it take to pave 2 miles of road? It appears we may never find out. In many progressive communities construction companies are given deadlines and then fined daily for failure to meet those deadlines. Many work around the clock with lights.
This project is being worked on by a skeleton crew that is seldom running more than three pieces of equipment in the entire project and never on weekends or nights. Where is the accountability? Why don’t we have a representative on this problem? Winter is close and we will have to put up with this until next construction season again. Who’s in charge? I believe we deserve better.
TOM McCOMB Fort Wayne
