Entitlements termed

corrupting, destructive

Having most anything provided by certain government or other sources outside one’s self, even by rights or lawful claim, is extremely addictive.

The external focus for fulfillment by others reduces productivity, self-esteem and independent functioning by individuals. Weaker individuals are easily manipulated and used.

Entitlement and special rights granted by different branches of government can be seen with the conspiring by illegal immigrants and apple farmers, the millions given by Solyndra and for extended unemployment coverage. There seems to be an element of corrupting energy for all associated with entitlement.

There are no freebies in the real world. The individual is responsible for his or her own behavior, which will be its own reward and as with a child, it is destructive to do for the individual what the individual can be responsible for.

The Government might want to give up some of its control and follow the same advice. Anne Lindbergh noted, “I love you so much that I want you to be free, even of me.” Ain’t love wonderful.

DON BOONE

Asheville

Rep. McHenry accused

of protecting corruption

U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry should quit protecting his corrupt colleagues and immediately cosponsor legislation that would prohibit insider trading of securities by members and employees of Congress.

It’s time for Mr. McHenry to end his silence on this important issue and to start doing the right thing for the people he represents. The politicians in Washington continue to get the gold mine while the people get the shaft.

The corruption in Washington is an outrage to everyone, but instead of standing up and speaking out against it, Mr. McHenry continues to condone the despicable and unethical behavior of people who somehow think they are above the law.

No wonder the approval rating of Congress is at an all-time low.

I support H.R. 1148 - the STOCK (Stop Insider Trading on Congressional Knowledge) Act, legislation that would prohibit lawmakers and employees of Congress from buying and selling securities based on nonpublic information they obtain because of their status.

McHenry, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, is not supporting the legislation and has remained silent on the issue.

Insider trading by lawmakers attracted national attention and outrage with the recent publication of a new book, “Throw Them All Out” by Peter Schweitzer and featured on the CBS News program “60 Minutes.”  The book outlined unethical activity by members of Congress, and pointed out at that Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Alabama, made more than 40 stock trades in his personal account in the months before the U.S. economy collapsed in 2008.

Bachus is chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and received “insider” information about the failing state of the U.S. economy.

After he received a private briefing on the impending collapse of the economy and the U.S. financial system from the Federal Reserve and Treasury officials, Rep. Bachus bought and sold securities that nearly doubled his money.

Rep. Bachus should resign today, and Mr. McHenry should show him the door — right after McHenry signs on as cosponsor of the STOCK Act.

Ken Fortenberry

Denver, N.C.

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Fortenberry is McHenry’s opponent in next May’s GOP primary.

Does anyone in U.S. really

want a balanced budget?

Many are calling for government spending to be reduced and budgets to be balanced. Debt is overwhelming, we need to cut back.

Why, then, when a spending cut is proposed in any area, do articles appear in the media condemning the cuts as having disastrous consequences? Education cuts will place our children’s future in jeopardy. Cut Medicare, and people will be thrown onto the streets. Cut welfare, our poor will starve. Cut the military, and we cannot defend ourselves. We have become so used to living beyond our means, both in our personal lives and our government that no one has the courage to do the right thing. We can’t see what is happening in Europe will happen here.

Massive government regulations only add to the problem.

We need strict budgets that do not exceed government revenue, then hire people who will live with them and get rid of the ones who won’t. Governments (state and local) should be allowed to go bankrupt if that is what it takes to correct the situation. No federal bailouts again.

When $45,000 a year income for a family of four is defined as poor, we need to redefine poor.

Allyn M. Aldrich

Asheville

Hold your nose, if needed,

but cast vote for Ron Paul

By now, most recognize that the “establishment” parties, Democrats and Republicans have become two sides of the same coin.

They serve the very powerful interests that support each of them financially. Each has a huge vested interest in the status quo. After all, each party savors the chance to allocate the trillions of dollars that our government doles out each and every year. It is exactly like two giant corporations vying for control of the worlds largest prize: The United States Treasury.

This “establishment” owns all of the mainstream media. That’s right: just six corporations control 90 percent of television, movies, newspapers, magazines, etc. Even the Internet is now a Wall Street commodity. (In fact, Obama last year gave his blessing to the merger of Comcast and NBC Universal, two media behemoths, so he too is establishment).

Remember that when you hear ugly things about a candidate from the media, it is probably because they represent a challenge to this establishment. Ron Paul is one such very real threat. And that is why the media will try to defame him. If you follow his career, you will quickly see that he has been a constant thorn in the side of the establishment — both left and right wings —for over 20 years.

Ron Paul fights against bail outs and Corporate Cronyism as fervently as he speaks out about Welfare State-ism. And he is just as quick to expose the military-industrial war machine and the war on drugs, as he is to ridicule the “Nanny State” and its freedom-sucking laws on civil liberties. Rest assured, the establishment media will try to destroy him.

If we citizens really want change — and that’s why many of us voted for Obama — I am afraid we have little choice but to support Ron Paul.

Hold your nose if you must, but vote for Ron Paul. Even if his tenure is brief, he will upend this establishment and shine a light into the dark, dangerous and corrupt government that now controls us. All the other candidates are puppets, whose strings are pulled by the 1 percent who currently use the power of “Law” to greatly enrich themselves.

That, my friends is the stark reality we face today. Its a critical moment in our history. Ignore the media; do your own homework; and have the courage to follow your instincts!

Steven Chase

Miami Beach, Fla., and Boone, N.C.

Ron Paul’s understanding

of economics touted

I’m sure readers are as concerned as I am about rising prices that we have been experiencing over the past couple years. What’s not being talked about is the reason why.

Historically, there has never been an instance where prices have increased without a previous increase in the money supply. Large increases in the money supply, like we’ve experienced under Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in the form of QE1, QE2 and the recent agreement to lend money to other nations at less than the rate it is being lent at home (basically QE3), have given us the rise in prices we’ve seen lately. This is a major reason for the continued economic downturn we are currently experiencing.

And it is the reason why Ron Paul is the only presidential candidate, including the incumbent, who will stop this kind of irresponsible monetary policy and put our economy back on the right path. Ron Paul has consistently spoken of the need to audit the Federal Reserve for years. We need a president who understands economics in its proper context. No other candidate possesses this understanding.

Betty Jackson

Asheville