Debt ceiling — work or die

Note: This letter was sent to President Barack Obama and members of the South Carolina Congressional delegation.

Barack, in 2008 you said that a 9 trillion federal debt was too high. You then said government officials were stealing from the taxpayers by incurring such debt. You said the officials then in office should be removed and you would do better.

Now you Barack are president. Now you Barack have increased the federal debt to nearly 17 trillion. At the end of 5 years as president, you will have doubled the federal debt. You will have incurred as much debt in 5 years; as all the preceding 43 presidents and Congresses have incurred in 219 years, since 1789. You and the Congress have incurred as much debt in 5 years, as all the wars, all the depressions, and all the welfare have accumulated in 219 years.

My father is 91 years old. When he was a boy about 10 years old in rural Georgetown County, S.C., his father (my grandfather) told my father and his brother (my uncle) to get the mules and plow the fields. It was winter. My father's brother, then 12 or 13 years old, protested, saying “Daddy, it is too cold to plow. The ground is almost frozen.” Granddaddy told them, “plow — or die.” My father's brother said, “I believe I will plow.”

Barack, you get $400,000 a year in salary. You will get $200,000 a year for the rest of your life in a pension, for working 8 years as president. You need to act like a leader. You need to earn your free pension for the rest of your life. You and Congress need to tell the American people that we need to plow, or to die — you need to tell us that we need to work, or to die.

Yes it is true that the welfare and government pension crew put you in office. However, it is also true that the welfare crew and the government pension crew do not grow the food that they and you all eat. The welfare crew and the government pension crew do not build the bridges, or do the work, or pay the taxes that you, Congress, the welfare crew, and the government pension crew live on.

For once in your life, act like at least half a man. For once in your life, act like at least half a leader. Make us go to work. Tell us that 100 million; or 200 million people in America, can not sit on their behinds, draw free welfare, free housing, free food stamps, free Medicaid, free Medicare, free military TriCare medical insurance, free military pension, free civil service pension, free school bus, free school teacher, free school building, free school breakfast, free school lunch, free SSI, free social security disability, free social security, free everything.

What good is a human being that will not work? He or she is useless to themselves, to their family, to their community, to their state, and to their nation. He or she is useless to God.

Do not increase the federal debt ceiling. Let us and you plow or die — let us and you all work or die.

Reuben Goude

Georgetown, South Carolina

Opinions pro and con

The emotional rhetoric submitted to various print media in the Grand Strand expressing one's opinion pro and con for gun laws have been very persuasive. Everyone on both sides of the ideological political divide has presented their philosophy in politically charged letters to the editor.

There is nothing more I can add to the discussion other than to ask the following question.

Why did the Obama administration give weapons to the Syrian Islamists and the Mexican drug cartels, while presently setting the groundwork to confiscate guns from law-abiding American citizens ?

Art Blenk

Pawleys Island

Mojo is shaking his body at both ends

The editors,

Mojo came to me the other day shaking his tail and his head after he read a letter to the Georgetown Times from a Mr. Jeffries. He was shaking his tail because he was glad to see the ongoing gun debate become a discussion with all points of view presented. He had figured that his last letter and that of other like-minded citizens would draw fire (no pun intended). The conversation needs to continue and many thanks to the paper for encouraging it.

He was shaking his head because he couldn't quite get the points Mr. Jeffries was trying to make.

One of the arguments used by folks who don't want any more restrictions on firearms is that a semi-automatic rifle with high capacity magazines is not a military weapon at all. However, Mr. Jeffries seems to be saying that the rifle certainly is a military weapon. Further, we need to have lots of them in order to protect ourselves if our government comes to get us.

Which is it? Is it a military weapon or not?

Another reason Mojo is shaking his head is that he doesn't understand why, if we really want to protect ourselves from an overreaching government, we don't lift restrictions on all weapons? Assault weapons simply won't do the job. Everyone should be able to keep stinger, surface-to-air missiles, in their attic, an M-1 tank in their garage, fifty caliber machine guns under their beds and a Black Hawk helicopter tied down in their backyards.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Dr. Jim Watkins

 and Mojo

Pawleys Island