DEMOCRACY IN ACTIONSubmitted to Shelton Blog by Katherine Price in response to Dennis E. Frost’s letter to the Editor, Shelton-Mason County Journal, April 21, 2011, titled “Citizens against virtually everything come out of the cave".
I attended a meeting of CAVE, after reading your letter, where we citizens came up with a brief list of things we are FOR, such as:
- Honesty and openness in elected officials
- Shared sacrifice in times of economic crisis or war (this used to be the American way)
- A progressive tax code
- Transparency in governmental dealings with business and industry, from the local level to the federal level
- Tax dollars being spent to enrich communities, not corporations
- Clean Air, water and soil
- A strong Environmental Protection Agency
- Planned Parenthood
- National Public Radio
- A woman’s right to choose
- A vibrant and well-funded public education system
- A permanent safety net for America’s seniors
- Strengthening Social Security by raising the ceiling for contributions above the current level of $107,000
- Closing tax loopholes which allow corporations to make record profits while paying record low, and in some cases no, taxes
- Replacing all military contractors with military personnel
- Streamlining the system by which our veterans receive the benefits they have earned by their sacrifices on behalf of their nation
- Fair trade; not free trade
- Living wage jobs for America’s youth (America has 40% unemployment among the 18-24 demographic; see Egypt for what happens next.)
- Affordable health care for all
- A reversal of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Citizens United
- Real campaign finance reform
- Getting the lobbyists out of Washington DC
- Whistle blower protections
- Government for the people, not for the corporations
- A Department of Peace, with 2% of the budget now devoted to the Department of Defense
CONCERNED ABOUT VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING!
Very truly yours,
Katherine Austin Price
Shelton, WA
SHELTON BLOG NOTE:
Mr. Frost,
In the future, as there are several "Shelton Blogs", if you wish to direct people to this blog specifically, you need to refer to it as the "Mason County Progressive Shelton Blog".
Also, you are most welcome to comment directly on the blog if you so wish.
The Editors
After reading the letter to the Mason County Journal submitted by Dennis E. Frost, my first inclination is to congratulate him on the snappy acronym: CAVE (Citizens Against Virtually Everything). I love it. Unfortunately it is not true, as many of us are up to our armpits in volunteer programs, Commissioner Meetings, Citizen Committees and supporting job creating projects like the 160 acre rezone south of Sanderson Field. But, never mind, facts should never stand in the way of snappy retorts. Still, I would like to correct a couple of Mr. Frost’s assumptions.
ReplyDeleteFirst, no one is advocating for the closure of Sanderson Field; that’s just a bit of poof Port Director John Dobson keeps spouting to keep local pilots up in arms. Trust me, Dennis, it ain’t gonna happen; not now, not later. And NO ONE wants it to happen because the airport is a key component of any credible economic recovery plan. I’ve told Mr. Dobson this in no uncertain terms. But, hey, it appears he doesn’t like the movie so he keeps yelling something about there being a fire in the theater.
Fact is, the worse enemy of uninterrupted airport operations may be John Dobson, himself: by persistently alienating the public and fighting against jobs and using “cry wolf” scare tactics, it’s only a matter of time before he’s up there in the wild blue yonder all alone, and then you have a real problem.
The second assumption is that the use of the phrase “old, white men” is somehow disrespectful; that seems to have struck a chord with Mr. Frost. But at 65 years of age, male, and white, I wasn’t offended, and neither were any of my old, white, male friends. Fact is we all had a pretty good laugh about it. So toughen up, Dennis, haven’t you ever been in the Service? I’m sure you’ve heard worse. This here is Timber country, not Disney Land; so hike up your skirt and stop searching under rocks for something that offends you.
Otherwise, not a bad letter; I liked it. Give me a call (Dobson has my phone number) and I’ll buy you a beer.