People Speak editorials and comment

Wow it's going on 20 years now and over that time, I have received thousands of letters about this site
Some of the best and/or most interesting follow, who will be the next? John Galt Jr.

* Note: We have decided not to reveal the e-mail addresses or names of contributors to this page, unless they asked us to do so. Letters may be edited for space constraints.

John,
concerning your letter to President Bush about Social Security and the stock market
What do you hope to accomplish?

Your "Congress is at least as corrupt as you are" comment will win him over for certain.

Having the government act as the agent to invest in the market is stupid, granted, but that doesn't mean that using the market as an investment vehicle is inherently stupid. You make yourself look rather foolish by suggesting that it is. Steve

Steve,
I couldn't possibly list all the things I hope to accomplish, so I'll stick to the subject matter at hand... Awareness is my main goal, I sent that letter to 1000 people today, I have no doubt that many will forward it to their circles, some may even send it off to the White House as I did. Which is the second goal, making sure that the President and Congress knows that some people out here still have the capacity to think and that public opinion is against this foolish plan (I hope).

As for my wordings, my letters to the president usually have a sting attached this is because I feel the president has betrayed the public trust and those who supported his re-election. The line 'Congress is at least as corrupt as you are' can easily be deleted by those who think it is too strong...

I really didn't mean to suggest the market as an investment vehicle is inherently stupid. But again when you look hard between the lines that message is there. Because it is one of my beliefs, if corporations had stuck to the initial idea of being a way for less prosperous individuals to be able to invest and own part of a company, things would be fine. But you can hardly even get into the market, without some grand stakes. and They are stakes because with corporations owning corporations, rampant insider trading, completely incompetent CEO's running some corporations (and being paid a annual salary which is more than I have made in my lifetime), Hostile takeovers and all the other bullshit, the stock market has become nothing short of a high stakes poker game. I don't play poker, because too many people cheat and the same is true in the market... I would even go so far as to say that the biggest winners in this game are the stock brokers who get their commissions no matter what happens !!! That is my position and i will not apologize for it... I also do enjoy the banters, another reason for my adversarial styling in my writing... John

John,
Over a decade ago, I was smoking herb. In the late sixties and early 70's I felt assured that people capable of stopping the Vietnam War would surely get ganga passed into legality in a maximum of 20 years.

I just received a years sentence for the possession of thc,(residue in empty
baggies). I'm in my mid forties.I am an honorably discharged veteran.I have already given the USA years of my life. Neither of the arresting officers were veterans, either could of been my child. The only way to get on jury duty is to register to vote. I fought for freedom from government suppression and invasion of certain God given rights and freedom of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those words mean no more Indian Treaties of law. Prejudice still abounds. When free to do so, I am going to move to another country, where the will of the people is the law of the land...certain islands, and countries like the Netherlands. I risk my life, to be imprisoned one year, for empty baggies. Brother Kevin

Kevin,
I am sorry you've been chosen to be another martyr in the War on Drugs. I really would not like to see you leave this country, so I am going to do my best to get Marijuana re-legalized before you get out. Peace and Freedom John Galt jr.

John,
I share your concerns about the government becoming a player in the stock market and I also agree with you that we should each keep our wage tax to invest as we see fit. But the stock market while bloated and infected with the mentality of a casino is invested in income producing
enterprises. The problem with social security is that it is a regressive tax it is 15% of the first 70K in wages and only about 2% above that, also its zero on unearned income (dividends and interest). The other problem with it is that any surplus is placed into treasury bills and notes effectively loaned to the government, where it has been wasted on military expenditures. Worth had a great article in the spring of '96 about how there would have been a budget surplus if the defense spending had remained constant (adjusted for inflation) with the level in the '76 budget. those are the problems regressive wage tax being used for military (welfare for the rich) spending.
What do you propose to get us out of the current mess?

John,
I take it you support privatization of Social Security as in give it back to me and I'll make my own retirement plans ? I also see in your profile that you are interested in politics and pro hemp legislation. You sound like a Libertarian are you? Mark in Michigan

Mark,
That damn L word again. Frankly I am not a libertarian , but I have been attempted to be recruited on multiple occasions. Even offered a place on the local ballots to peak my interest... Soon I will explain to the world why I am not a libertarian. I do espouse many of the same beliefs... So I will let them build a huge base of support before I steal it away... You may be able to figure out my reasoning by visiting my web sites, brought together as Web Station # 19. (Go when you have plenty of time to spare)

Like so many other things the stock market has been good for those who are already rich at the expense of the small investors. When ever they say the economy or the market is good what they mean is that the rich are getting richer...

The entire concept of Social Security was flawed from the beginning, it it's nothing short of a pyramid scheme, which depends on rising population rates and large amounts of people dying before they can collect in order to function. The government themselves created the so called crisis the last time they jacked the rates to cover future shortfalls, then proceeded to expand the program to cover all sorts of people whom are not retired and stole the so called surpluses to cover the budget shortfalls. The first thing that has to be done is the separation of the SSI administration and the federal government's creative bookkeeping. We could fiddle with that regressive tax thing, raise the retirement age, or get rid of the survivor's payments, or all the recipients below a certain age.. Personally I think the system should be allowed to die... the alternatives? How about letting people fend for themselves, a noble concept that big mother just will not accept. How about the forced funds collection being turned directly into t-bills with individual ownership rather than the bureaucracy of the SSI administration?

How about simple bank accounts... IRA's for all people. This will keep the banking industry afloat. the businesses can get there money from them the old fashion way through loans. How about leaving the damn thing (SSI) alone until a real problem emerges? So what about all those who fall through the cracks? We do still have welfare don't we?

Libertarians and Potheads seem to be my kind of people and supporters...
Here the best letter from the Libertarian faction... Donald Silberger, Libertarian candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York State wrote...

John,
You keep a very interesting site. I think there is one perspective that is commonly overlooked by legalization advocates like us: Marijuana is very effective in weaning addicts off of other substances. I have been fully hooked on both Needle drugs (Mostly speed and Cocaine) and Crack. In both cases I was able to beat those horrible addictions with Marijuana. After the cravings for the other drugs were gone, it was easy to quit smoking pot. I had to quit to keep my job, but while I am clean I can be a totally legal advocate and plan to. Keep up the work I am sure someone on the hill will come to their senses till then I suggest that all tokers plant their seeds everywhere.

I have a buddy, who is certain that if pot was as common as any other weed in a field that the government would resign themselves to the futility of fighting the benevolent plant in favor of going after the real drugs like Crack and Heroin. I have a 2 year old son whom I don't want to lose to the police, which is another point that is missed. Parents who toke are turned in by their kids after a thorough brainwashing at school, but they are never told that they may end up in foster homes. I am very tired of the tragic situation surrounding Marijuana and feel that political pressure is the only way to solve it. J.E.


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