Letters to the editor

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Oct 8, 2008

Check religion record

In her letter Sept. 23, Lisa Frisbie stated that she had decided to vote against Barack Obama for "religious" reasons. I wonder who she is going to vote for.

John McCain, though nominally a Christian, acknowledges he hasn't been active in the church. His relationship with his wife, a beer heiress, began as an adulterous affair. Cindy McCain's extensive and admirable charity work lost a little of its luster when she became addicted and began stealing drugs from one of her charity organizations.

I'd say the McCains have a somewhat splotchy moral record.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, was exposed to Islam and agnosticism as a child, yet as an adult chose to become a Christian. Obama's mother, though an agnostic, spent her life helping people who were disadvantaged.

If you believe, as I do, that deeds are what really count, then you will see that she was a good person who set a good example for her young son. Obama has been active in his church and has lived his beliefs, forgoing a lucrative and prestigious career as a lawyer to become a community organizer. The Obamas have been strong and consistent in their moral and ethical behavior.

LOU HOOVER,Topeka

A bill of goods

Leave it to the Bush administration to attempt to sell worthless garbage to the American taxpayers -- who, you will remember, no longer include the very people who made this mess, nor their rich conservative lapdogs in Congress.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's indecision and final proposal are clear evidence of his loyalty to the financial community, not to the nation. Besides, while at Goldman Sachs, Paulson was a major player in creating this debacle. To trust him with any money, much less the Trillion Dollar Scam, would be a form of masochism.

The big boys, who deliberately and in a premeditated manner befouled their own nest, have plenty of resources available to them in their international holdings. Let them buy their own way out. After all, they're the champions of the "global market," and this would be a perfect opportunity to see how well it works.

Take note that after the Trillion Dollar Scam was proposed on Sept. 19, the market settled down. That should have told Congress that it could delay action.

TRAVIS TAYLOR,Topeka

Scouts need camp

My two daughters were Girl Scouts, and I was a leader. We were saddened and disturbed by the news that Camp Tokavaka is destined to be sold for debts. Is there a way to prevent this from happening? We heard nothing about any fundraising or any other planned alternatives to this sale.

Tokavaka is a valuable resource for many girls and young women. Experiences there range from learning how to care for the outdoor environment to camping, outdoor cooking and hiking. These experiences assist Girl Scouts to become productive, informed members of our community.

Once this beautiful facility is gone, perhaps for housing development, the experiences of many Girl Scouts in our community will be diminished. Please, reconsider this decision, and keep Camp Tokavaka for present and future Girl Scouts.

MARLENE PANTOS,Tecumseh

Time to pay attention

If 9/11 didn't do it, and you slept through the truth of weapons of mass destruction, wake up before you miss out on another swindle by this administration. Don't hit your snooze button -- they are at it again with the largest of them all, a $700 billion bailout.

But who are we bailing out? You hear of the foreclosures, but whose houses? It's not mine or probably not even yours. It's the developers and investors who have been swindling Americans like you and me for almost a quarter of a century with bigger and better homes that cost more and more each year.

When is it going to stop? We have known for a while that there had to be an end to it -- a point where the average American just couldn't afford the payments. But the loan companies figured out how to sell us on the idea that we will be able to make it up tomorrow.

Well, tomorrow is here, and we are still making what we made yesterday. Now they are asking us to pay up and we can't, because they had made some bad investments.

I always understood that investing was a risk, and sometimes you lose.

Maybe we should set up a committee to oversee this bailout money and offer those who are actually in foreclosure the help they might need, not give million-dollar bonuses to some CEO for making bad decisions.

TIM UMBENHOWER,Perry

Get to the bottom

The American people need to demand an immediate investigation into what caused this housing crisis.

It has been developing for many years, possibly cost nearly $1 trillion and ruined many lives. We deserve to know just who the real culprits are -- in the U.S. Congress.

BYRON L. MADUSKA,Leavenworth

Check the source

If Joe White (letters, Sept. 26) is going to attack someone and use quotes, he should be sure the lines used were actually stated by the person.

Abraham Lincoln never said the things Mr. White attributed to him. Ronald Reagan used them, too, and he was just as wrong.

The axioms quoted were actually created by William J.H. Boetcker, who was a Pennsylvania preacher. And he was born eight years after Lincoln died.