Letters to the letter

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Aug 27, 2008

Change is necessary

This fall, we need to make a statement. We need new leadership. We need a fundamental change in the White House and new direction in Congress.

Vote for the good of America, not for the good of the party.

In 2000, our national debt was $5.6 trillion. After eight years of the Bush administration and Republican leadership in Congress, our deficit has nearly doubled to $9.5 trillion. Our party needs to be accountable.

Sen. Barack Obama has been portrayed as risky and inexperienced. Look where so-called experience got us. We have two oil men in the White House, and the only ones flourishing in our economy are the oil companies.

Sen. John McCain received $1.3 million in political contributions from big oil. He recently received an additional $280,000 from the Hess Oil Co. family prior to changing his stance on offshore oil drilling. He also wants to give a $4 billion tax break to big oil companies. That says a lot about a man who owns nine homes and wears $500 shoes.

We don't need a Bush clone in the White House. McCain supported Bush 95 percent of the time in Congress and publicly admitted to 90 percent support. He also said at a Republican debate in January that we were better off than four years ago. If you're buying what he's selling, buyer beware. Eight years is enough.

I'm a Republican and don't support Sen. McCain. If you feel the same way, let our senators know. Nancy Boyda has done a fine job in Congress. So what if she's a Democrat? Let's send her back to Washington.

DARRELL MASQUA,Topeka

Doing her job

I feel embarrassed for Lynn Jenkins, who showed her lack of understanding, experience and knowledge of the current conditions by starting off her bid for public office by making such an uninformed comment about Congresswoman Nancy Boyda concerning a meeting held in 2007.

Must Jenkins' people be compelled to go back more than a year in their search for something to make Congresswoman Boyda look bad? In addition, they showed a lack of understanding about what actually happened at that time. It is plain to see that Jenkins needs some researchers to help her out.

To start with, Congresswoman Boyda was one of the few who bothered to show up for the meeting to which Ms. Jenkins refers. Probably the majority of the others already knew the hearing was to be a Republican commercial instead of a report on what was actually happening at that moment.

Had I been Nancy, I doubt I would have even bothered to return; yet, because it was her duty as my elected representative to Congress, she did go back and quite properly and accurately indicate that the message she had heard had greatly missed the mark.

She did not just complain and point out the problem, but offered a viable solution, which was to forget the politics and efforts to make prior decisions seem acceptable and report as to the actual current conditions on the ground in Iraq.

Since that time, Congresswoman Boyda has more than indicated that she is among the few in Congress who understand it is time for Iraq to firm up its government and take responsibility for the welfare of its own people and not expect the United States to continue to pay with the lives of our service men and women and our dollars.

Everyone stand and say, "Thank you, Nancy."

DALE E. VAUGHN,Topeka

Liberals do know faith

David Livingston's letter, "Faith isn't a fault," (Aug. 17) shows he doesn't understand liberals very well.

First, all of the liberals I know, myself included, are spiritual people and are members of a variety of religious organizations. We would never say that being faithful is a fault. Second, the liberals I know understand that faith and religion are not the same thing. Christ and his apostles made that clear. They consistently taught that following the law, i.e., the doctrine of the Jewish religion, was not the same as being faithful to God.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith." (Matthew 23:23)

Liberals that I know would say that spirituality and a faithful understanding of right versus wrong should influence our national policy making, but often doesn't. However, we oppose the use of any religion's doctrine as a basis for those policies.

Therefore, I take issue with Mr. Livingston's conjectures. He uses language that liberals agree with when he says religions, plural, condemn murder, etc. But, his exclusive language, i.e. "church on Sunday," reveals his real conjecture is that my religion, Christianity, is the religion on whose doctrines our nation's policies should be based. He failed to indicate which denomination's doctrines should be used, and I would love to see a Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Episcopal, etc., debate about that topic.

Regardless, Mr. Livingston's theocracy mentality is what I and democracy-loving, faithful liberals of all religions oppose.

DON DANIELS,Topeka

New outlook needed

I have just watched a TV commercial for Sen. Pat Roberts. It tells of a commendable act by Sen. Roberts in helping a Kansan wounded in Iraq to return to Kansas.