And to think that in my “youth” I thought that politics were boring.

I just finished reading The Citizen and I have to say that during portions of my reading that my hackles were up. I had just about completed my responses to Mr. Finnegan and Mr. Parker when it dawned on me that this could get into a discussion that might have elicited back-and-forth responses for weeks.

And since I am sick and tired of reading arguments hashed and rehashed every week (see Brown vs. Lenox) I decided on a different tact. By the way, has anyone thought of a three-round boxing match between Mr. Brown and Mr. Lenox with all the proceeds going to some PTC or Fayette County charity?

What if we all agree to disagree on the war in Iraq? I understand that this is a very important issue to all of us but when it comes right down to it, we are all relying on the journalists for our information. Since we cannot all agree on which journalists or which reports to accept as the truth let us set this issue aside for just a minute.

What if we looked at some of the things that have a direct impact on each and every one of us? What if, regardless of political orientation, we all got behind a few simple plans?

1. Tax reform: The Fair Tax Bill. This is a proposal that will eliminate all federal income tax liabilities as they stand now and replace this form of taxation with a sales tax of approximately 25 percent. All state taxes would still apply. You will also get a check from the federal government each month for the necessities of life, basically what it would cost to feed and clothe your families as put forth by the government.

Just think about all of the monies that will flood in that are now uncollectable (tax evaders, drug dealers, illegal aliens, foreign tourists). By the way, when out-of-country tourists come to the U.S. for vacations they would be putting money into our Social Security and Medicare plans. Read “The Fair Tax” book for more details.

2. Secure our borders: We should all understand that there are jobs in the U.S. that some Americans will not take. These jobs should be taken by individuals from other nations that seek to improve themselves but who arrive in this country legally.

We should be able to allow or deny any person(s) access to our country. We would also be able to better keep track of who is in our country and why they are here. We should not believe that the only people coming across the U.S./Mexican boarder are people from South and Central America.

3. Federal budget: What if we made a promise not to (re)elect any member of Congress that disagrees with a plan that states in every other year starting next year (2006) that there will be no (ZERO) pork in the federal budget? The amount in the 2006 federal budget for pork spending is $27.3 BILLION dollars. This would allow us to decrease the deficit, secure our boarders, and bolster our Social Security and Medicare systems.

4. Social Security: What incentive does any member of Congress in office today have for fixing this? There will not be anyone who is active in Congress today who will be there by the time this system is completely bankrupt. The Fair Tax Plan in conjunction with “No Pork” helps to alleviate this shortfall.

These four issues impact each and every one of us. They also impact each of our children and grandchildren (maybe even some of our parents). Look at how our representatives vote. Our representatives are not concerned with what is best for this country. What they are really concerned about is getting re-elected.

If we continue to allow our representatives to be manipulated by their political parties as to how they should vote on the issues that affect the people of this country then shame on us.

Lloyd F. Stroud
Peachtree City, Ga.

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