Published: September 10, 2009 02:26 pm      

Letters to the editor - Friday, Sept. 11, 2009

Can we trust China with H1N1 vaccine?

Concerning China’s imports:

1st – Rifles that malfunctioned.

2nd – Baby bibs with toxic dye.

3rd – Baby formula contaminated.

4th – Children’s jewelry made of lead.

5th – Toys painted with lead paint.

6th – Drywall that contained sulfur installed in U.S. homes, making them unlivable and owners sick.

7th – Now the H1N1 virus shots?

Can we trust them? No, not me.

They won’t let seniors buy scripts from Canada or Mexico without FDA approval. Why are they contemplating this?

After China’s track record, can we really trust the outcome?

Gertrude A. Weaver, Kokomo

Parents ultimately responsible for kids

It is the parent’s right, more than that their responsibility and duty, to oversee the school, its curriculum for our children, and choose the course of their own children’s education. Schools are not responsible for the children, their parents are!

I commend the schools of our area for listening to parents! As someone pointed out, not everyone agrees with Obama. He has given some a reason to question what he might say to our children, either now or in future speeches. As adults we do not follow a person nor schools. We follow our conscience and the laws of the land, not people.

Is the definition of narrow-minded people those people who take responsibility for themselves and their families, or is it those who criticize others for a difference of opinion and/or those who choose to ignore issues allowing others to decide for their families.

Laws are not being followed, including the supreme law of the land, our Constitution. An American leader is one who listens to citizens, not someone who tells them or their children what to do.

It is on the matter of our leadership refusing to listen that caused some tempers to rise in a few town hall meetings. After patiently trying to reason about concerns, when our elected official who works for us refused to listen, righteous anger is justified. Most meetings were orderly. This is actually a good example to children.

We must teach them officials are elected to do the will of the people. We are not to be complacent and let officials rule over us. Doing the latter is what sends the wrong message to our children, the future leaders of America.

We the people have been given the right to stand for what we believe. It is reasonable to assume our leaders will listen, but if they don’t we have the right to say so.

Leelia Cornell, Greentown

Help needed to find gold pocket watch

I’m writing hoping someone can help me. On Aug. 27, my house was broken into. Stolen was my great-grandpa’s gold pocket watch.

It is an Elgin, with a pink face, from around 1910. I had the watch repaired on the face. The new porcelain is bright white around one of the numbers.

I’ve been to pawn shops and places that buy gold and silver. It’s the only think I have of my great-grandparents. It just makes me sick it was stolen.

If anyone finds it, please call the Howard County Sheriff Department with my name. I’m also giving a reward for the return of the watch. Just leave your name and number with the sheriff department.

David Smith, Kokomo

Working seniors owed earned income credit

Since 2006, the year I first discovered it, I have been troubled by something I refer to as “the clause.” I have been writing to Sens. Bayh and Lugar, urging one or the other to introduce a measure to retroactively repeal the “Age 64/65 Clause.” This clause targets working seniors, age 65 and older, preventing them from claiming the earned income credit on their federal income tax returns.

The clause needs to be repealed. As long as it remains in force, it will continue to allow the IRS to repeatedly violate federal law, specifically the Federal Age Discrimination Act of 1967.

FADA was enacted to deal with age-based discrimination in the workplace. The workplace is the source of all wages. Wages are the basis of our federal income tax obligation. The clause is illegal because it discriminates based solely on age.

As long as the clause remains in force, the IRS will continue to have carte blanche to violate federal law, thereby continuing to cheat working seniors, age 65 and older, out of their earned income credit.

Write, phone or otherwise contact your elected representatives. Urge them to actively support and push for the retroactive repeal of the “Age 64/65 Clause.”

Kenneth Crockett, Kokomo