Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

In a very few days, our country will face one of its most important -- it not THE most important -- elections ever. Because I am 65 and in the twilight of my years, I am concerned not so much for myself; rather, I am concerned about the legacy we will leave our children and grandchildren. Because of this concern, I want to say a few things -- to lay out some facts -- to remind my fellow citizens of where our country is and where it may be headed.

Just as an NFL team does not go out on any given Sunday and simply take the field, neither can we as American voters go to the polls and simply mark our ballots. Professional players want to win, so they and their coaching staff prepares for the game by doing their homework before the team hits the field. In other words, the staff and players have a plan. American voters must do the same: we must do our homework and formulate a plan that includes looking at facts.

Some facts that I would like for all to consider are as follows:

The population of the United States is 316.2 million. In 2010, over 70% of all federal spending went to dependence-creating programs. In an in-depth study, the Heritage Foundation found that the total number of Americans receiving government assistance has surpassed 128 million. That’s 1 in 3! This means that the “takers” who rely on government assistance nearly outnumber the “producers” who supply the funding for entitlement programs.

We know that our government today is borrowing from future taxpayers in order to fund the current entitlement programs. In 2009 when Barack Obama took office, the national debt was $10.6 trillion; today, it is $18 trillion; when he leaves office, it will be $20 trillion. We see that the future looks dire indeed as our national debt approaches 100% of our country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Many people who favor the concept of big government (and a government that has over $18 trillion of debt is definitely “big” government) have had a “plan” for our country for a long time. One of these is the Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has consistently ranked low in the area of voter trust. I am appalled when I reflect on what has occurred over the past few months in our government. For example, I fully expected to see Hillary Clinton charged with treason. When I watched FBI Director James Comey on television saying what he did about Mrs. Clinton, I really became worried. Director Comey said that although Mrs. Clinton had done wrong, he was not going to recommend that charges be filed against her. (Could this be a little quid-pro-quo?)

Another person who has a “plan” for America is a billionaire named George Soros who has been linked to voter fraud in other countries. Mr. Soros, who also wants “a world without borders,” has a direct link to a company that has supplied voting machines for 16 states. A list of these states can be found online.

A person from the past who had a “plan” for America was Norman Thomas, a six-time Socialist Party candidate for U. S. President. In a 1944 speech, Mr. Thomas said the following:

“The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism, but, under the name of ‘liberalism,’ they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing it happened.”

He further stated, “I no longer need to run as a presidential candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democrat Party has adopted our platform.”

We should all be concerned about such “plans.” Similar plans have already greatly impacted American citizens. For example, as of January 1, 2016:

            1. Medicare tax rose from 1.45% to 2.35%;

            2. The top income tax bracket from 35% to 39.6%;

            3. The capital gains tax from 15% to 28%;

            4. The dividend tax from 15% to 39.6%;

            5. The estate tax from 0% to 55%; and,

            6. A 3.5% real estate transaction tax was added.

These taxes were all passed solely with Democrat votes; not a single Republican voted for these new taxes. These taxes were all passed in the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

As Americans, we must vote our consciences, and we must know that our votes will be counted correctly. The state of Missouri does guarantee that our votes will be safeguarded. To this end, the state has provided a phone number for anyone to call who might be aware of any voter fraud. The number is 573-751-2301.

I would like to close with a positive note. In the Old Testament, the prophet Jeremiah tells us “O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit” (Jer. 16:19). It is time for us to ignore lies and vanity. It is time for us to choose the moral high ground as did our forefathers.

Sincerely,

David Burton

Steele, Mo.