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Saturday, May 25, 2013
Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868
December 18, 2012
GOP needs more
than rebranding
Despite voter ID laws designed to suppress the vote, Karl Rove's vote-rigging machinations in Ohio and elsewhere and unparalleled sums of money spent to buy the vote (thanks to the Supreme Court's "corporations are people" decision), the Grand Old Party still couldn't win the 2012 presidential election.
I guess that shows what you can't accomplish with a platform based on all those "G" spots -- God, Grover (Norquist), Guns, Gays (anti), Government (anti), General Welfare (anti), Gringos and Greed.
So, will the GOP now give up its extreme positions on practically everything and come back toward the middle and sanity? Will it negotiate in good faith and not just stonewall? Does the bear walk and live in the woods? Look at its current fiscal cliff negotiations. They, the losers, are serving up the same hash they were serving before the election -- same stuff, different day.
Land sakes alive, some of them are even claiming a "mandate" ... because they didn't lose control of the House. There's enough spin there to make a person nauseous.
Anyway, as the GOP engages in wound-licking, hand-wringing, and breast-beating, I suggest that it also search for its lost soul -- lost sometime after it had a progressive platform back in 1956. We must watch out for simple rebranding. Never doubt that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. That pig wearing lipstick is still a pig and that snake oil in a new bottle is still snake oil.
Mine eyes have seen the "enemies" of freedom, and many of them are in the present-day GOP and in its platform.
Dwight, Dick, Gerald and Ronnie must be spinning in their graves.
Thomas P. Augustyn
Dallas
Story, class helped
shed light on Aurora
I'd like to thank the Itemizer-Observer for its great article on the link between the town of Aurora and Mrs. Austin's fourth-grade class at Luckiamute Valley Charter School ("LVCS students participate in history," Dec. 5).
My grandson attends school there and is receiving a great education.
I hope that the article will remind local folks Aurora was not just a forgotten 1800s town but a unique communal community that thrived between 1856-1883. Today, with the Aurora Colony Museum and many antique shops, Aurora is a great day trip for the family (and holiday visitors) just up the road on I-5.
For more info, visit www.auroracolony.org.
Kathleen Mason
Dallas
It's time for MINET
to pay its own way
I see where MINET (the Monmouth-Independence Network) is once again asking the cities of Monmouth and Independence for a handout, this one totaling $642,000 ("Cities help MINET with $642K loan," Dec. 12 Itemizer-Observer).
I also find it ironic in a related matter that the cities of Independence and Monmouth are both planning to ask citizens to approve bond measures at some point in 2013: Independence doesn't have enough money to pay for its basic operations and Monmouth doesn't have enough money to buy a vacant building for a new police station.
Well, both of these cities would have more money put away if they would quit propping up this failing business entity. Any other "business" with $26 million in debt as your newspaper reported and still asking for handouts would have had the plug pulled by now.
We keep hearing and reading how business is picking up for MINET and that it has turned the corner. Still, it can't generate enough revenue to meet its basic debt obligations.
At some point, MINET must become self-sufficient. In my opinion, that time was long ago.
Doug Johnson
Monmouth
DHS wrestling team
thankful of support
On behalf of the Dallas High School wrestling team, I would like to thank the community for its wonderful support of our annual poinsettia fundraiser again this year.
The poinsettias you purchased contribute to much of what we do, and it is only with your support that we are able to achieve the success we've had.
Thank you for helping us become champions.
Brady Andersen, captain
Dallas
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