A thank you note from Iraq

Ann received nice words this week from FOB (Forward Operating Base) Falcon, Iraq. All ninety packages that Ann and her volunteers sent have arrived. Chaplain Hale's two assistants have been busy sorting the contents and repackaging them into gallon size zip lock bags. Those will be passed out to some 2,000 soldiers on Christmas. Protestant, Catholic, LDS, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic, no matter the soldier's faith they will be receiving something from people who care at home, something that means "we care"!

Well almost all the contents will be passed along on Christmas. The final box, package, No. 90, was prepared solely for CH (CPT) Melissa Hale. Ann included some "girl things" that most likely wouldn't be available through PX channels. Also small inspirational books, and even special chocolate treats. She had written all over the box "For Melissa only" so there would be no mistaking her intent. The Chaplain's response: "We have gotten all of the boxes now. Thank you so much. I will be honest -- your letter in my box brought tears to my eyes. How much people can care for us -- for me -- even when we have never met, never cease to amaze me."

Ann and I feel the same way about all the good people in this community whose out-pouring of material and money contributed for this effort to make Christmas a little better for "our" comrades in arms doing duty thousands of miles from home and family. We never cease to be amazed how good and generous the people in this community really are. We are aware also that Ann's is not the only effort in this area to make deployed military personnel aware that they are remembered with love and appreciation.

This week I also received words, not so pleasant, from Mr. Jim Fagin of Senator Nelson's staff. Mr. Fagin, in a letter printed in the Gazette open forum, took umbrage at my insinuation, in last week's column, that Senator Ben should have extracted a large sum of federal pork in exchange for his vote to keep the Senate ObamaCare bill alive. Senator Nelson's colleague from Louisiana was able to swing $300 Million in federal pork for her "yes" vote and Nebraska received zilch for Senator Nelson's "yes." Why the very idea!

In an earlier letter to the Gazette Senator Nelson stated why he had voted "Yes" and declared that "Without a bipartisan bill, Nebraskans lose!" Bipartisan my foot. In this Congress any Republican healthcare suggestion or bill or amendment has died a quick death. A leopard never changes his spots and I suspect that any Republican motion will be stonewalled and a 100 percent Democrat ObamaCare bill will come out of the Senate. Senator Nelson could have voted to kill the whole terrible bill and so now the whole country as well as Nebraska will lose.

During my 12-year stint in local government it became obvious that if the county or the city needed to accomplish a project it was possible to finance it through a bond issue. The procedure was simple. The project was presented to the public who in turn analyzed the rational and either voted Yes to commit the local government to paying back the loan (bond) or No to reject the project. The system has worked well for one hundred plus years.

Then during the depression years of the 1930s a liberal Franklin D. Roosevelt, Democrat, was elected. President Roosevelt proved the liberal concept that if the government provided social handout programs to the people, they would in turn vote to keep those liberals in office. Roosevelt's administration developed many programs that were later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. He had a solution to that also and packed the court with his handpicked liberal justices with new interpretations to the Constitution.

Today local government is able to secure money to spend on pet projects through all sorts of grants, the beauty of which is that they don't have to get the public's vote of approval. The money for the grants come from "earmarks" attached to bills working their way through congress whether related to the project at hand or not.

Many times I have heard the comment that "Senator Nelson has done a lot for this community" which translated means he has earmarked and sent money our way for some request or another sent to his office. I have also noticed that when federal funds are awarded to a local, or county or state project the good Senator is invariably on hand to make the announcement of the grant.

Never spoken out loud but insinuated is the quid pro quo that you should vote for me as I was able to get this money for your city, county, state. Yes Senator Nelson and his liberal colleagues may be too proud to sell their vote but not too proud to expect us, the voters, to sell ours.

That is the way I saw it.