Letters: Letters blaming everything on Democrats confounding

The Republican titular head, George W. Bush, just nixed another round of "stimulus checks" because it will contribute to the national debt. Excuse me? Didn't we just bail out the corporate giants, Bear-Stearns and The Freddies to the tune of $250 billion and aren't we (the American taxpayer) still paying $9 billion per month for the fiasco in Iraq? The Republicans and their corporate cronies have a lot of gall. Relief from current economic pressure is reserved for corporate giants rather than we, the American people. Bullocks!

I am confounded with recent letters blaming everything from our failed public education to labor woes on Democrats. We have precious little time to correct our path to destruction that we seem determined to tread. Simply put, the Republicans base their case on fear while Democrats look for hope. I, for one, hope that the average American voter, rather than thinking about him/herself, considers our children when making important decisions. The upcoming elections are extremely important, both nationally and locally, but how we live each day and the decisions we make, each day, are equally important.

Most of the challenges we face today are a direct result of mistakes we have made in the past. If we aren't smart enough to at least look at those mistakes we can pack it up. To do nothing and allow our decline to continue is not acceptable behavior. To continue to bury our heads in the sand and allow those with interests contrary to ours (primarily corporations), is to forfeit the American Dream.

People should take the time to garner as much information as possible, regarding important issues, rather than basing their beliefs (and votes) on ideologues streamed from only one source, whether it be their newspaper or a cable news network or their next door neighbor. I believe that responsible empowerment of power comes through information from several sources, the "second opinion" standard. The people who have been in power the last eight years have brought us to the cry for change. Even McCain is calling his campaign the one for change now. I hope the American people take the time to make an intelligent choice for change. If you only have time to gather from one source on the subject of change, take it from me, vote Democratic!

Kurt Gripenstraw

Crescent City