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Bill Evelyn's guest column Sunday ("We've only just begun to fight") highlighted many of the frustrations this thirty-something has with the current political climate.
While I am keen to the ideas of smaller, less complex and more accessible government, any program that offers the solutionless propaganda of nullification and repeal and assumes the worst of its opponents (tyrants, really?) falls short of the constitutional ideal of a more perfect Union.
The legislative agenda Mr. Evelyn outlines is purely pejorative. The goal appears to be the elimination of actual, if flawed, solutions without the offering of an alternative course of action. I guess having no plan is still a plan, just not an encouraging one.
If you want to repeal health care legislation, tell me your policy plans to fix the broken system. If you want to eliminate income taxes at both the federal and state level, outline the specific spending cuts (which will require far more dramatic action than eliminating earmarks) and revenue sources that will balance the budget and reduce our national debt.
I am particularly concerned that some of the targets identified by Mr. Evelyn are precisely those in the most need of protections by our state and federal governments.
Attacking education and health programs (SCHIP is PeachCare for Kids, the low-cost insurance program for children living in low income households), among the few assurances that all children will have the opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, without recourse is highly questionable.
Now, more than ever, is not a time to fight, but a time to seek peace. We need to come together, not be torn apart through empty propaganda (whether it comes from the proverbial left or the right), to address our national problems with real, contextual solutions that embrace the value of all our great citizens.
In this last election, I voted for candidates who offered effective policy plans for our state and national dilemmas. Sadly, I had few to choose from. Going forward I hope more political voices, regardless of their stripes, will take the time to engage in constructive, solution-oriented, dialogue instead of mere rhetoric.
Damon C. Nix
Flowery Branch