Renounce U.S. empire;
re-affirm U.S. republic

In his letter in your recent issue (“Are we facing the will of a bloodthirsty god?”), Mr. Steve Kropelnicki displays the same misguided focus as do most christianist fundamentalists — concentrating on the imagined sins of others while ignoring one’s own real sins, such as illegally and immorally invading and occupying two small, relatively defenseless countries, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The “Terrorism Industry” in America was a hype decades before 9-11, deliberately set up to falsely exaggerate the perils posed by Muslims, and to create a new “enemy“ to dovetail with the loss of our old “enemy,“ the Soviet Union.  [Read “The Terrorism Industry” by Edward S. Herman (1990); or the more recent book, entitled, “Overblown: How Politicians and the Terrorism Industry Inflate National Security Threats, and Why We Believe Them” by John E. Mueller (2009).]

In fact, even extreme Muslims pose little threat to the U.S.  It is the U.S. Empire that poses a very real danger to all other countries in the world today, as proven by our track record in aggressive, unjustified, terrorist wars, both military and economic, against other countries.  We have proven ourselves totally inept as a world leader, and even policeman (the Palestine-Israeli conflict has been unresolved for more than half a century), only interested in expanding our power and influence.  Far from being a “shining beacon on a hill,” and leading by example, we are just a mean-spirited selfish nation intent on imposing our own will (“U.S. interests”) on all other nations.
The true cause of U.S. terrorist invasions and occupations is not Muslims extremists, but the dynamics of empire.  Ours are expansionist wars, not defensive.  Except for a few self-congratulatory, overly-publicized instances, we seem to be unable to use our immense power for the greater good of the world.  Our main exports are war, weapons, ill will and environmental degradation.

The main feature of our Empire is our grossly over-inflated, permanent, military budget ever since World War II.  Anyone truly interested in peace, America, the world, and fiscal responsibility sees that this war spending has got to stop.  Although 51 percent of our overt budget goes to the military, untold billions are borrowed from our progeny as a “covert budget,” enslaving our children for decades to come.

Americans are shielded from the consequences of their own acts, the atrocities committed in their name and with their tax money, because they don’t see U.S. bombings and brutalities against innocent people on their TV screens as they did during Vietnam.

We must immediately end our mindless military culture, our “war-murder-pillage” machine, stop thinking of the world as being full of “enemies”, and learn to respect other cultures and religions, and deal with them on a peaceful, non-intrusive basis.  We must renounce the American Empire and reaffirm the American Republic, or else, as Ben-Hur so eloquently said in the movie by the same name: “The entire world will rejoice when the Empire falls.”

Dan Stone
San Francisco

Affordable housing facing
threat, homewner charges

After living in Montford for 22 years, I’ve recently discovered arbitrary, problematic local and state legislation, which aggravates our affordable-housing issue.

I was told to limit the occupancy of my century-old, eight-bedroom home to five.  I further discovered there is presently no available legal recourse, leaving me to face either exorbitant fines or the inability to cover my mortgage, bills and taxes.

Like forced annexation, this is an important issue which grieves residents in our community, and North Carolina in general, by transgressing their property and privacy rights, while simultaneously restricting what’s left of the free market.

Where faulty legislation is discovered — especially those which transgress our individual liberties — it is the duty of the people to petition our legislature for correction and remedy of such grievances.

This is the first step in holding our government accountable.  I believe our general lack of doing so is largely the cause for our present state of America.

The entire matter is detailed in my recent letter to City Council — just Google “AVL Affordable Housing Threatened.”

Bernard Carman
Asheville

Gun stores blasted
for failing to aid team

As towns go, I guess, Hendersonville is as civic-minded as any town I know of.  The North Carolina  4-H national shooting team benefited in large  from the generous folks in this great little town.

Having an entertainment background our club (The 4-H Young Naturalist) asked me to head up the fund-raising to send the kids in our club to Texas for the 4H National Shooting match in Kerrville. (Over two-thirds of the N.C. team came from Henderson County!) We came home with the silver, by the way!

We were received warmly by citizens and businesses alike throughout the county. Everyone was asking how the fund-raising was going.

We even brought in the seven-time entertainer-of-the-year award-winner, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver!

This is where Hendersonville shines. Even with a nationally acclaimed act as the main attraction, our very own Larry Keith and the Lonesome Road Band drew more ticket sales by three to one!!

There is only one blemish that I can’t seem to get over. As everyone knows , from the time Obama took office until at least the spring of 2010, guns and gun-related items have enjoyed record-breaking sales. But as I approached each of the local gun-dealers for help in taking this extraordinary  bunch of kids to Texas, I was flatly and unceremoniously shown the door. I might as well have asked A.C.O.R.N. for an unbiased opinion or Planned Parenthood for a plan. These were the same businesses that gladly put their hand out when ammo, targets, guns  and other shooting-related products were being bought by volunteers and parents over the years — and especially the year preceding the nationals.

These 4-H kids understand civility works both ways. That’s why you can see them out working on different projects throughout the county and helping those who can’t help themselves. So what kind of example are our local gun dealers setting for these kids?

Just say no? Take all you can and give nothing back? Or how about: “You are not important to us. You’re just kids”?
  Maybe when these kids become our leaders and movers and shakers, one of them can open a civic-minded gun store, or maybe they’ll follow the shameful example handed down to them. Imagine that!!!

Danny Maybin
Tuxedo

FairTax problems cited;
does it lead to a VAT?

Problems, I see with the FairTax....

The FairTax rate of 23 percent + 7.75 percent N.C. sales tax = 30.75 percent, or 31 cents out of your pocket, for each dollar you spend.

Will make customers think twice about a purchase when they see the 31 cents added on to the cost. It is a 31 percent increase in the cost of an item. Most likely it will reduce sales. Less sales, less jobs, less merchandise sold, and around and around we go. FairTax states why punish the producer? Well it does, with less sales there are less items to be produced. Less items produced the less jobs, etc.

Why the Prebate check? The Prebate makes the FairTax more complicated then is needed.. Lower the tax rate. Delete the Prebate. Plus, where’s the government getting the money to pay the prebate, if its mailed before they collect tax? What about the cost of figuring, processing and mailing of the prebate checks?

Something to think about if, the FairTax applies to new houses, new cars and other high ticket items: Purchase a new house and then 26.8 percent (23 percent plus the new 3.8 percent Federal Home Tax) really hits you. Say you purchase a house for $250,000 the tax added on to the cost would be at least $57.500 with just the 23 percent tax.

Then add the 3.8 percent if, for example, Then the Fed’s jump in with their 3.8 percent sales tax and you add $9,500 making the total $317,000. That’s $67,000 more. Then add the cost of financing over a 30 year period. Sounds like a great buy doesn’t? Will the banks finance the $67,000 in taxes along with the house loan? I don’t think so. Now, figure the FairTax on a new car with the state tax figured in - think, you may think twice before you buy?

The FairTax would hurt sales of new homes because of the size of the tax. Which in turn would hunt contractors, painters, cement companies, lumber companies, etc.. Plus, it could cause people to purchase used homes, driving the availability down and the cost up. The same problem with vehicles and other high priced items.

Because of the problems, caused with homes new and used, stated above, more people may rent. Causing a shortage problem and higher rental prices of Apartments.

Is this the first “Small” step toward a VAT tax? Is that the “REAL PLAN”? What’s to stop the government from changing the FairTax into a VAT tax by charging the 23 percent tax at the manufacturing and distributor level? Note: a VAT tax is not a value added tax as claimed. It’s a CAT, a cost added tax. Tax does not add value.

Most (99 percent) of the people in business I ask how they feel about the FairTax, state they don’t like it, mostly for the above reasons. The number one reason is they feel it would drive sales down and hunt the economy. And keep it down.

Does not abolish the IRS, as the IRS or United States Department of Revenue, or whatever they will call it, will be needed to collect the taxes collected by the States. The States will also need to be audited. The States will need to audit the merchants who collect the FairTax from their customers. See processing of prebate checks above, as the IRS will be needed to process the prebate checks.

Been introduced each year in Congress for the last 10 years. And still no go. Why?

My conclusion the FairTax is an economy-killer.

Fremont V. Brown III
Asheville