I have noticed that the TEA party is all of a sudden so concerned about taxes, government waste, government invasion of their privacy, bailouts and a government takeover of the health care, etc.

Where were they when Terry Schiavo’s privacy was invaded by not only the GOP in Florida but even the GOP president supported invading her family’s pricacy during a very trying time? Or when the GOP president insisted on invading a county that had nothing to do with 9/11 or his failure to capture the mastermind behind it? Or when they heard that insurance companies were refusing to authorize much-needed treatments to their policyholders? Or when our great Constitution was completely ignored? Or when our state gets a lot more money from the federal government than we give it? And, finally, why did they not confront the GOP and demand that the health care system be fixed during the last eight years?

And why can’t they present their plan completely — how much each individual should pay, how each tax dollar will be spent, how much will go toward the national debt?  I hear the complaints, I never hear proposed solutions.  Just no, no, no.  If merely cutting taxes were the solution, why do we still have problems?

Why can’t we just become mature adults and come together with open minds, sit down and discuss what is good, what is broken, and how we can fix it?  If we don’t, things will only get worse. There is some good to be found if we would just try.

Rudy Smith

Vicksburg

Library lot needs help

The entrance to the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library parking lot is deplorable and possibly in violation of public access for the handicapped and senior citizens.

This is my second letter on this issue. I contacted the new mayor regarding my concerns and offered the following:

The entry way to the library parking lot needs to be redesigned to permit a round-a-bout access  to Veto Street. The current double-lane entry way with median limits access for emergency vehicles, and I do not believe a fire truck could access the library.

When the garbage truck has to back in to make a pickup, entry becomes impossible and hazardous to patrons.

I suggested to the mayor that the two oak trees be cut down, since they offer no utility for shade or attractiveness and that I would even donate crepe myrtles as a replacement. The wooden screen for the Dumpster should be painted with an attractive design or theme appropriate for a library.

My great uncle, Robert E. Selby, was a mayor of Vicksburg and superintendent of education, who died in office in 1945. He took great pride in the library and my reading ability at Redwood Elementary. He made sure I had a library card. Whatever measure of success I have accomplished in life can be attributed to the public library.

Selby Parker

Clinton

Supes setting the stage

The board of supervisors is considering a tax increase for residents of Warren County. That should anger every citizen.

Despite rising unemployment and a deteriorating economy, these five officials must think that although the standard of living for the citizens of this county is steadily worsening, they can squeeze even more from us, all the while refusing to do what each of us has had to do — tighten our belts and make do with what we have.

Between their already-high tax rates and hefty casino revenue that is the envy of others, they preside over one of the wealthiest counties in this state. Should the supervisors persist in their efforts to take more of what is ours, this is one voter who will campaign to remove them all come next election.

Malcolm Allred

Vicksburg

Budget misdirection

I am writing this letter to inform the public of continued misleading financial or budget issues from the past Vicksburg administration and the current administration. Both claimed nonprofit use of the city’s water, sewer and garbage departments. The residents of Vicksburg have always paid the water, sewer and garbage utilities’ without a deficit. In fact, the reserve or rainy day fund was a combination of casino taxes and utility reserves.

The previous Leyens administration and the current Winfield administration claim a $4 million deficit on water, sewer, garbage and natural gas. The same amount is owed annually on repayment of the municipal bonds. This is not a coincidence!

The water, sewer and garbage fees were never an issue or ran deficits until we had the municipal bonds. Natural gas is the only utility that has run a deficit because of the market. But the Leyens administration raised all four utilities in the name of subsidizing or deficit for natural gas and continued to raise the garbage rate. The new administration raised the garbage rate using the same false claim. The claim of subsidizing water, sewer and garbage is false because a city cannot subsidize what it must provide (water, sanitation, police and fire protection). No city governments have ever said they were subsidizing the fire and police departments.

The current administration, in efforts to ignore the public disappointment and disbelief over an increased garbage rate, chose to remove 28 pages from the original 38-page proposed 2010 Budget Report on Aug. 27. The administration discussed only 10 pages. The new administration refused to answer questions involving the city’s utilities, stating that the city’s utilities were not relevant for the hearing and the administration will hold a separate hearing on the city’s utilities. The administration must be consistent in its actions of representing the budget situation and their spending of taxpayers’ money.  Currently we have a contradiction in the administration’s actions vs. its representation of the budget situation.

John Shorter

Vicksburg

Love it or lose it

You know our “America the Beautiful” is almost gone. If we don’t get control of things very fast, I am afraid that the wonderful and beautiful country that we have taken for granted all these years may be no more. We have chosen to sit by and do nothing for so long that it may be too late. I pray to God that it is not.

To us Christians, it’s as though we are probably in the end time as the Bible tells us. But no one knows but God, the day, hour, nor the minute when the Lord will come back to get us. In the meantime, we must continue the good fight. I ask everyone to wake up, stand up, and speak up. Now is not the time to be quiet if you’re concerned for our family, kids and country. Write your senators, representatives and the president of the United States and let them know how you feel. People often say, “It won’t do any good.” No, it won’t do any good if you choose to do nothing.

I would like to ask all of our church leaders, pastors and priests to come together and start a prayer group, as our TEA Party Group is doing. Our churches have been far too quiet far too long. It does not matter what denomination you are. It does not matter if your are red, yellow, black or white. We are all proud Americans.

Betty Stout

Vicksburg

Cost makes no sense

I have been following the debates on proposed health care legislation and have read the published arguments, both for and against. People seem off the track and don’t seem to be addressing major issues.

A major issue is the rapidly escalating cost of health care, and a large portion of that is due to the cost of prescription drugs. To give you an example, like a lot of men my age I take finasteride — the generic equivalent of Proscar. It is widely used in many countries, is produced in quantity and has been around for about 20 years or more. The actual production cost of the tablets is probably about equivalent to the production cost of aspirin. My insurance company’s preferred provider charges $157.17 for 90 tablets. Does something seem wrong here?

I did some calculations. If you calculate the cost by weight, the cost of the generic medication is about 10 times the cost of gold. Alchemists tried to convert lead into gold. They were obviously on the wrong track, and should have directed their efforts towards prescription drugs. Maybe the people arguing about health care should also redirect some of their efforts.

Fred E. Camfield

Vicksburg