| Worry
about something closer to home
Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie will be
speaking out against atomic bombs in August
at the Iowa State Capitol Grounds. This
public chat bookends his recent trip to
the United Nations concerning the same
subject. This is a tough political call,
as edgy as protesting world hunger, child
slavery or hog confinement waste leaks.
Local peace activists, poets and the professional
student class who live in fuzzy warm clouds
hoping for a Utopian idyll will applaud
the mayor's speech. A dynamic and well-published
stand against world nukes will also look
good on future campaign literature.
Everyone is terrified of "Fat Boy"
atomic blasts scorching the earth. Other
worries are dumped economies, neighborhood
machine gun sprees and real estate scams.
These local horror shows haven't been
extirpated or attenuated, as of yet, so
how the heck is one going to tackle earth
cruncher radiation bombs? Sounds like
the ultimate straw man diversion.
But let's get back to the office, Mr.
Cownie, and focus on the feasible. How
about focusing on a light rail system
for the city? Not as sexy as blameless
dreams of Roussean bliss, but closer to
the bone as a viable plan of action. Yes?
Gary Wilson
Des Moines
Flushing social security down
the drain
Our Social Security payments are "borrowed"
from the Social Security Trust Fund and
immediately spent by the federal government.
The U.S. Government has told us that these
"borrowed" funds are secure.
They are receiving a nice rate of interest.
Social Security is NOT an entitlement
funded by the U.S. Government. It is an
insurance policy that we all contribute
to. Unfortunately, Congress has mismanaged
this money. The revolution is coming.
Don't sell your gold jewelry just yet!
Gary Thelen
West Des Moines
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