Letters to the editor Dec. 6

Ron Paul will protect

our freedoms

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

If you saw the Republican candidates' recent debate, you know the only one who truly upholds Franklin's conviction is Ron Paul.

While Newt Gingrich shot back about how Oklahoma City could have been avoided with the Patriot Act, which is highly unlikely, Dr. Ron Paul was not given the time to include in his response that Timothy McVeigh's motivation for bombing the federal building was the massacre at Waco of 76 innocent men, women and children, and some British nationals.

The actions there in Waco by then-President Bill Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno violated posse comitatus, in which the federal military cannot be used to enforce the laws of the land without an act of Congress.

When you think about it, this is one of our most precious protections of our freedoms, something that only Ron Paul was willing to stand up for, of all the candidates on that stage in, ironically, Constitution Hall.

Also, much was bandied about regarding bombing Iran, and Pakistan's nuclear capabilities. Michele Bachmann spoke stridently of our payments to Pakistan for their intelligence sharing.

Bin Laden was found just down the road from Pakistan's West Point, about which we received not one crumb of intelligence.

Then, Rick Santorum had to launch into how we need to also be on guard for possible wars with Central and South America.

When will it stop? Only with Ron Paul.

Patrick Kennedy

Virginia City

Ayres needs to stop spreading misinformation

Janet Ayres, admittedly, is an active advocate for senior citizens, and that is a good thing. What is not good, however, is that she continually provides seniors with misinformation about the solvency of the Social Security System.

Case in point is her column "The Truth about Social Security" in the Oct. 25 Appeal. She claims that the Social Security system is just fine, that it is economically sound, that it does not contribute one dime to the deficit, and that the Trust Fund has a surplus of $2.6 trillion. Liberal politicians and pundits would love for us to believe that this is true when, in fact, it is not.

As I have stated in previous letters to the editor, the Social Security System is in jeopardy. This is true because the money we have paid into the system has been stolen by the politicians we have trusted to protect the system. Since Lyndon Johnson was president, they have used our money to support the government's annual general fund budget. Instead of our cash deposits, what remains in the trust fund are government securities which are essentially IOUs.

Very soon, when the SS system is paying out more than it is taking in, the securities must be sold and converted to cash in order to make payments to vested recipients. When this occurs, it will create massive debt, as the borrowed money plus interest must be repaid to the purchasers of the securities.

Gary Thompson

Gardnerville

ESL programs make difference in community

Regarding Guy Farmer's commentary of Nov. 20, I would like to tell him that I agree with him wholeheartedly that English should be the language spoken in the U.S., and that is why I started a no-cost-to-student English as a Second Language program seven years ago for adults.

The program is in five counties: Carson City, Washoe, Douglas, Lyon and Churchill.

Through our program, 72 students have become U.S. citizens, 17 are ready to take their exam, 23 are now studying for it, and some are working toward a GED. Since our existence, we have helped more than 500 adults in English language skills. We have more than 120 volunteer tutors teaching more than 240 adults. Other successes include parents and grandparents helping children with homework, some finding jobs, parents communicating with children's teachers and medical personnel without interpreters, adults shopping in English-speaking stores.

My main challenge is recruiting more tutors so that all of the almost 250 students on our waiting list can start with my program. I need more. You will be trained at no cost; it takes 11⁄2 hours. Then I match you with a student living in close proximity to where you live.

If you cannot tutor, then you can make a donation to purchase the instructional material to start new students. If you want to make a difference in your community and help solve the language barrier, call 775-888-2021.

Florence G. Phillips,

Executive Director

Carson City