Social Security under attack

Social Security is a contract between employer and employee. It is not a government entitlement. This money belongs to the people who have paid into it all of their working life.

It is a terrible thing when people in this great nation are under the thumb of the folks we sent to Washington to represent us and instead they are stealing from us. I will direct my dissatisfaction to Tom Cotton, who is a pig in a poke bought and paid for by the Koch Bros. Why is there enough money for Washington to give themselves a pay raise, but there is no money for a COLA for Social Security? If the guilty parties -- King Ronnie, two Bushes and Bill Clinton -- were made to pay back the money they stole, there would be enough to help the Social Security recipients lead a better life. I challenge anyone in Washington to try and live on $15,000 a year.

My second observation is that none of these thugs, mostly Republicans, have the audacity to say they are Christians, they are liars. Jesus said to his disciples, "When I was hungry, you fed me; when I was naked , you clothed me; when I was hurting, you gave me comfort." The disciples asked him when did they had fed him or clothed him or given him comfort. Jesus' answer was "If you did that for the least of them, you did it unto me." I don't see any of the Washington bunch giving a rat's behind about the poor. We are part of "we the people," so take notice Washington. If they keep this line of behavior going, how will they deal with all the seniors descending on them with every intention of ripping their faces off.

Leave our Social Security alone. Pay back what you stole and give us a raise.

Susan Hamilton

Bella Vista

In search of illumination

Steve Blevins repeats an old myth that in the 1970s most scientists predicted a new Ice Age. What actually happened is that a few scientists said this, the media sensationalized the idea, and it captured the public imagination. A survey of science studies published in scientific journals in the 1970s shows that over 60 percent of them were predicting warming and only 10 percent predicted cooling. The rest weren't ready to make a prediction.

The majority of U.S. science funding is by industry (62 percent) and the majority of federal funding goes to the military. (60 percent) and medical research (25 percent). Funding serves to keep scientists working on their projects.

Most people in most countries take climate change very seriously. Only in this country have fossil fuel interests financed a barrage of misinformation to confuse people.

I also take issue with the way Blevins lumps together totalitarian communism and democratic socialism. The countries of western Europe and Scandinavia are social democracies with representative governments, social safety nets, usually a few nationalized industries such as railroads, air or (in the case of Norway) oil, and many small and large businesses operating in a free market. Several of these countries have per capita GDP higher than in the U.S.

If you start out with righteous indignation instead of information-gathering; if you believe there are only two sides to every question and the other one is wrong or evil; and if you ascribe low motives to everyone you disagree with, then you are not really discussing the issues. We need less heat and more light.

Coralie Koonce

Fayetteville

Editorial on 10/18/2015

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