Send e-mail to letters@gainesvilletimes.com (no attached files, please, which can contain viruses); fax to 770-532-0457; or mail to The Times, P.O. Box 838, Gainesville, GA 30503. Include full name, hometown and phone number for confirmation. They should be limited to one topic on issues of public interest and may be edited for content and length. Letters forwarded from other sources or those involving personal, business or legal disputes, poetry, expressions of faith or memorial tributes may be rejected. You may be limited to one letter per month, two on a single topic. Submitted items may be published in print, electronic or other forms. Letters, columns and cartoons express the opinions of the authors and not of The Times editorial board.
This is a reply to Friday's letter from Natasha Cantrell, who was complaining about fees and financial penalties by business and government. I'm sorry to tell you this, but your costs to live in America are going to get a lot higher over the next four to 12 years.
I was poor a couple of times in my life during the late '60s, late '70s and early '80s. I noticed that each time the federal government overspent, inflation caused the price of everything to rise, which made it more difficult for me to support my family. It is doing it again.
Now, as in the Johnson years and the Carter years, the citizens of America have spoken. They want a president who will spend way more money than we have in order to provide government services to people who don't buy the services on their own.
Two things are happening. The federal government is borrowing and printing more money than it can pay back. It soon will be taking more money from all of us and businesses through increased tax rates, fees and regulation to replace the money now given to its friends to buy more votes in the next election.
Since businesses simply pass on fees and taxes to the people who use their products, we will have to pay a lot more for products we need.
Since the federal government is printing and spending more money without anything of value to back it up, the money will soon be worth a lot less. This means you'll have to pay more for the products you buy. If 12 rolls of toilet paper now costs $6, it will cost $15 in 2012 because a $3 increase will be needed by the manufacturer to cover his increase in taxes and regulation, and it will take six of today's dollars to pay for $3 of value in 2012.
My suggestion to those who are poor is to get a job with the federal government. It is trying and succeeding in becoming the biggest employer in the U.S. You can be a part of it. You'll get great benefits while doing very little work. You can live in the District of Columbia, which is almost like living in a utopia.
The best of hope and change to you.
Rick Frommer
Murrayville
Removing illegal immigrants provides economic benefits
In response to Saturday's letters from David M. Anderson and Marilyn Valent: It is to Sheriff Cronic's credit to be successfully using the 287(g) program to help combat the drastically increasing crime rate in Hall County. Sheriff Cronic was wrong in that it wouldn't impact the economy in our county. It has helped tremendously. Ms. Valent is correct in that the Hall County Sheriff's Office is doing a great job in sending arrested illegal immigrants to ICE.
By reducing illegal aliens in our area, he has reduced the drain on our infrastructure and financial resources. Yes, there are many that see this as progress, particularly hard-working, middle-class, tax-paying wage earners.
As for traffic arrests being down, apparently Mr. Anderson is unaware that it is totally illegal to use the courts as a source of income to the city or county. Gang graffiti is reduced around our community. Have you felt a stronger sense of security lately?
The Hispanic-operated businesses down the Atlanta Highway are seeing reduced patronage. The illegal immigrants that were their clientele are no longer here.
Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., a liberal, by stating that the 287(g) program's budget has increased from $5 million to $60 million, has endorsed the success of the program. He states that in 2008, it was credited with resulting in the removal of about 29,000. Its budget for fiscal year 2008 was just under $40 million. ($1,379.31 cost per person).
This is paltry compared to the activity that has been draining our state and county budgets. It doesn't need to be proven that they are dangerous aliens to prove that they are here illegally. I see that Mr. Anderson doesn't dispute this.
Ms. Valent is correct when she shows frustration in trying to understand how we can stand by and let persons benefit from the illegal population while we taxpayers foot the expense.
Its time that we all take a stand and demand stricter enforcement of the 287(g) program. Thankfully, we have more citizens like Ms. Valent than Mr. Anderson.
Rickey E. Tumlin
Clermont