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Your Views: Same problems persist without clear solutions from our leaders
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Our president is about to present to Congress and the nation his budget to operate our country for the next year. Unfortunately, it is not a formula for success but rather a plan for succession. It won't correct our problems, but rather make sure the Democrats seat the next president - and, by the way, that president would be him.

He will tell us what path the country needs to follow and what programs project our future. My problem is not here but rather it is what he promised as a candidate. To wit: change the way Washington does business. He failed with his promise and he wants to continue on the path to ruin.

I don't think everything is the problem it's built up to be. It has everything to do with power and not with success. The politicians feel they have something too big to fail, and the people won't let it fail because race cards and class envy can be interjected into the game. So they'll make sure the other guy is the enemy and make sure one goal is to beat the villain.

The key words in beating this thing are planning and proactive.

If we go back in history, no matter how far, you will find the same items, which were problems then, are still problems now. In other words, over this time our politicians have solved nothing. The problems were taxes, spending, health plans, Social Security, education equity and immigration.

I don't claim to have the answers, but I do have the path to pursue. It isn't that hard. Where do we want to be, what do we want to do and when do we want to do it?

You'll notice that everything we pursue in politics is a crucial problem, and it has to be cleared up now. Problems don't become critical overnight. Little concerns become problems because we allow them to grow. Then they must be corrected now, magnified by scare tactics. Things don't happen overnight, and they do not go away overnight.

There are always alternatives, but politicians instead of pursuing them start immediately by telling us what is wrong with them by scare tactics.

If we take our time and determine where we really want and need to be, we can live with our alternatives and grow our plan. Spending will decrease because it can be held back. We can buy the time we need to resolve or solve our problems. This is done by saying we will live by a plan rather than reacting to a problem. This is called being proactive. Taking action before the problem.

Now, read our president's plan and really tell me where I've gone wrong. If you agree send a copy of this letter to your fellow Americans and you elected representatives.

George Koesters
Gainesville