Sound Off for Feb. 24, 2024
Foreign aid
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has voted no to passage of aid to Israel and Ukraine. She probably does not want to upset the fake MAGA crowd who believe in the fake border crisis. But for the sake of argument let’s assume the fake border crisis is real and then ask yourself: Is this a good reason to leave the fate of Ukraine and Europe to the whims of Putin? Is it sufficient justification to abandon our allies Ukraine and Israel? No, of course not. She should have voted for the aid package.
What happened to us?
As a lifelong Republican, it pains me to watch Mississippi and other politicians who have traditionally followed logical and fiscally-conservative approaches fall over themselves to bow to a former president who let his ego and win-at-all-cost approach cloud his plan to change a broken political system. It’s sad because they are choosing political survival to avoid the wrath of a schoolyard bully. It’s time to move on, America, and choose a President with wisdom to lead a nation.
Navalny and Trump
Vladimir Putin imprisoned his political opponent where he subsequently suddenly died. I don’t see much difference in the Biden administration trying to imprison his political opponent. Has our country fallen to the likes of Russia, China, North Korea and Iran? God help us.
Spending
Why do we send millions of dollars to Ukraine and other countries, and not spend those monies for the buildup of our own military? We are getting weaker and weaker in our ability to defend ourselves. Recruitment is down and pay is no better for our military. These world-wide adversities are beating us in military development areas and we may very well become the victim of complacency.
No surprise
Mississippi is having a hard time filling teacher positions. Could it be the low pay, limited access to healthcare, or high grocery taxes?
Trump shoes?
Donald Trump went to Comic Con to peddle his gold tennis shoe collection. Wow, he really does need your money. This is why the government vets applicants. If you are heavily in debt, you are more likely to steal.
Public schools
No, parents who send their children to private schools should not be exempt from paying taxes to support public schools. That’s because we don’t pay taxes to educate our own children; we pay taxes to educate all children, because we all benefit from having an educated population. My taxes pay for highways I’ll never drive on, for national parks I’ll never visit, and for air traffic controllers who direct planes I’ll never fly in. Even though my own children are adults, I pay for schools which educate the doctors, police, librarians and journalists I depend on. Private school tuition is a luxury which some parents enjoy, but that doesn’t relieve them of the responsibility to support public schools.
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