LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

McCain Best For Vets

Speaking as a disabled vet, I want to inform all the vets and their families of an article in the October issue of The American Legion magazine. The magazine conducted an interview with both major candidates for our next commander in chief. The piece is much too long to discuss in its entirety, and I urge everyone to read it if you can obtain a copy.

The one point in it that I wanted to make is a reply to one of the questions asked by the panel about VA healthcare. Sen. John McCain replied and I quote "I want to provide veterans with a plastic card. When they have a routine healthcare need they can go to the health provider of their choice and gat treatment." This is only a small part of the senator's response, but I think you know what I'm talking about. Senator Obama's response had no such plan or anything even remotely similar. Speaking for myself, I hate that trip to Haley from Brooksville plus the parking, waiting, etc. And, yes, I use Pinebrook for the routine stuff and they are great, but limited in what they are equipped to do.

I strongly believe only one of the candidates realizes what veterans go through, not only with healthcare but the entire VA system!

Philip Strmensky

Brooksville

Big Bailout Plan For The Rich

Wealthy stockholders watched their shares plummet overnight as big investment giants and lending institution ratings were downgraded to "junk" by the Standard & Poor's along with Moody's and Fitch. For example, Lehman Brothers' stock plummeted some 42 percent causing shares to fall below $4. Many annuities were obliterated or withdrawn all together. Portfolios were annihilated! Yet, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, on behest of the White House, urged Congress to move swiftly on Bush's bailout plan.

However, the moment the news hit Wall Street that a bailout plan was in the making, the same panic-stricken investor stocks rocketed! As is the Republican doctrine (shared by both G.W. Bush and McCain), the wealthiest Americans were saved at the expense of the common taxpayers since the richest Americans (thanks to the Bush tax cuts to the wealthy) are sheltered from their equal share/appropriate taxation.

Keep in mind, the Iraq War has an estimated and unadjusted cost of more than $3 trillion. Estimates exceed taxpayer-costs to as high as $7 trillion when long-term combat-related medical care (based on average life expectancy of veterans currently at the average age of 24), disability payments, rebuilding the military (all branches) and other related costs during the next 10 years. Now combine the war costs with another estimate of $1 trillion to $2 trillion of Wall Street bailouts...

With all these distractions hasn't anyone noticed the frightening similarities between Bush and McCain? Both are "silver-spooners" with no idea where money comes from (besides mommy and daddy's checkbook). Dumb as door knobs. (McCain recently insulted the president of Spain by saying that he has no intentions of dealing with leaders of South America.) And now McCain has Sarah Palin who believes she and her husband are above answering court subpoenas! Palin knowingly used illegal e-mail addresses for government-related communication. Palin's defiance of U.S. laws and courts is the same defiance and contempt that Dick Cheney has demonstrated throughout his terms!

Is Palin so above the law? And the "perfect Christian mother" of the "highest moral standards" raises a promiscuous daughter? Had it been a daughter of Obama, the evangelicals would have burned her at the stake!

Garrett Hood

Spring Hill