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We’ve heard so much about values from the politicians, but what I see more and
more is a warped sense of values based on greed that more and more favors rich people and corporations.
The war in
Iraq had nothing to do with a real threat to our country. It had more to do with oil interests and corporate greed, with companies
like Halliburton, which have profited tremendously from misguided government policies.
Our more recent hurricane disasters
are even better examples. Again, the huge profits that are and will be recorded by the oil industry are sinful. Why didn’t
our government — the same one that asked every individual American to be patriotic and give money to the victims —
ask or order the oil industry to freeze prices for the duration? Instead, we’ve been gouged at the gas pump this fall
and will be further gouged at the furnace this winter. It’s inexcusable.
And throughout these man-made and natural
disasters, we have a president determined to privatize our Social Security system, the one program that has worked well. His
administration, fully supported by our Sen. Rick Santorum, wants to use Social Security money to feed and strengthen the stock
market, which in turn will benefit the Bushes and the Halliburtons of the world and not our country’s senior citizens.
And
of course there is our state Legislature that, in this time of financial hardship and uncertainty, vote themselves huge raises.
After
seeing those raises and tax cuts for the wealthy and the profits of the oil industries, it makes me sick to see what kind
of a raise America’s senior citizens will get in Social Security next year.
Senior citizens made this country
the leader of the world. They paid their fair share of taxes over their working lifetime. They sacrificed their time and sometimes
their lives for this country. These are real values that should never be forgotten or sacrificed on the altar of corporate
greed and aid to the wealthy.
Jean Janesko, Moosic
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