[NTBKtrader]

Wednesday, July 5, 2006


I am 92 years old and lived through the Great Depression. I served four years and two months of my life in World War II and also lived through the flu epidemic of 1918.

According to statistics, the average credit card debt is $9,000 and our national debt is more than $8 trillion. That's $27,000 for each American. American savings accounts are not only zero, but 5 percent negative.

Many states are having serious fiscal problems with balancing their budgets. Mortgages are excessive with thousands of people on the verge of foreclosure and real estate taxes are excessive with New Jersey being one of the worst. Our money is counterfeit and it is backed by nothing.

We squander our resources on unnecessary wars. The children of illegal immigrants can attend our public schools at the taxpayers' expense. We borrow money from countries such as China and Japan to pay them interest on the money we borrowed to pay our bills. Medicare and Social Security are in financial trouble and health care is unbelievable. People who work and receive minimum wages can't even afford to pay rent.

All the politicians know is to raise taxes and no one seems to be accountable. And yet, there seems to be money for people to buy a second home at the shore or to gamble. Money does not seem to have any real value, just as it didn't before the Great Depression started.

During the Depression, many good men became wandering tramps. They slept in boxcars and earned a little money by doing seasonal jobs. When they couldn't find a job, they resorted to begging. My mother was a soft touch for any drifter who came to our door for food.

Today, we take God out of our schools. Conditions require that the husband and wife both work to pay the excessive cost to live and children come home to an empty house. Discipline has gone out the window.

I think all school children should wear uniforms. I believe that when a student is disobedient, he or she should be sent to the principal's office and the parents should be called. The second time it happens, the student should be warned and told if it happens again, he or she will be removed from school and placed in a camp for discipline and correction.

We are living in perilous times just like before the Great Depression. The difference is, our money then was backed by silver and gold and our national debt was minimal. Today, we are buried in red ink with chaos just around the corner. I say, "America, we better wake up quick."

CARL HIGGINS Sicklerville

http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/p ... 50306/1047

[FireJack]

Dammit I had this nice response about the whole god in school and beating children thing then realized you were just quoting from the article.

Can we not spam the forums with stuff like this please.

[NTBKtrader]

Just because you disagree with two points of the letter you think it's spam. Well I consider your whiny post spam, so stop spamming my thread with your childish whining.

[pedalling_faster]

good article ! for a second i thought NTBK was the author.

when i was in grade school in the 60's, it was -
"i pledge allegiance to the flag of america and to the nation for which it stands, one nation, undivisible, under God."

"america, the beautiful, for amber waves of grain ..."

every day from first grade through about 6th grade.

but no uniforms.

[MrBill]

I guess if you are 92 years old, have lived through all the good years, helped elect the governments that made those decisions, and benefited from all that growth, well, at 92 years old, you're as much to blame for the mess as anyone else?

At least you had your good life, lived to a ripe old age, got your pension and healthcare benefits, owned your own home, rode the wave of asset appreciations and will die a peaceful death before fossil fuels run out. Luckier than most.

I wonder whether this guy approved or disapproved of the bombing a Nagasaki and Hiroshima back in the good old days when America only fought necessary wars, albeit reluctantly and late. I wonder whether he marched with Martin Luther or threw bottles and petrol bombs? Just curious about this 92 year old man that seems to have all the answers figured out. Damn Mexicans picking fruit & vegatables anyway!

[Concerned]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', 'I') guess if you are 92 years old, have lived through all the good years, helped elect the governments that made those decisions, and benefited from all that growth, well, at 92 years old, you're as much to blame for the mess as anyone else?

[Daculling]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', 'J')ust curious about this 92 year old man that seems to have all the answers figured out. Damn Mexicans picking fruit & vegatables anyway!

[MrBill]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Daculling', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MrBill', 'J')ust curious about this 92 year old man that seems to have all the answers figured out. Damn Mexicans picking fruit & vegatables anyway!