Keep freedom alive
Published 12:55 pm Sunday, September 9, 2012
The letters last Sunday, written by Robert Peters and Malcolm Allred in answer to those of the previous week by Kalar Walters, left me cheering a patriotism I felt had long ago disappeared.
I marveled at their enlightened depth and the professional construction of their replies as they renewed hope for the country’s future. While Kalar pleaded for everyone to re-elect Barack Obama, and seemed to blame large corporations for any and all the presumed ailments of our Republic, Peters and Allred’s historical fact-based replies were both brilliant and magnificent.
My argument against Kalar’s adoration of Obama takes a somewhat different approach. Having spent nearly 40 years in industrial plants, steel mills, mines and large corporations of all types, the last 20 of which in Obama’s home base of Chicago, my experience was diametrically opposed to Kalar’s views. Obama served a spell in our Illinois Legislature — where he often just voted “present” on proposed legislation. He had no experience at anything that would enable him to do otherwise.
His Illinois history was one of blatant ineptness. But shortly, as we now know, he would learn the Chicago-way from the famous “Chicago Democratic Machine.” The previous two Illinois Governors were jailbirds.
Then came the allegations of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s sermons denigrating America. Soon after, Michelle Obama confessed that, “It was the first time in my life I have been proud of my country.” What an eye-opener that was for me.
All this was followed by Obama’s going around Congress to name czars, most of whom were tilted heavily toward Socialism and sometimes even Communism. The name Van Jones comes to mind. So this, we learned, was the so-called “change” he so often talked about. Many of us voters had been conned, and now it was too late.
Kalar, we love winners like Joe the Plumber, who Obama said “no” to when he wanted to keep more of his earnings so he could grow his new business rather than giving it to the government. And we love the story of Sam Walton, who opened his little store in Arkansas and grew it into the largest corporation in the world. Kalar, you’d do yourself a real favor by voting “red,” so you too could keep your freedom and be able to do whatever you want in your life — free of government intervention.
Al Lundin
Vicksburg