User: Mr. Liam

Dear Scott.

With the utmost respect for the sincerity of your opinion, I must disagree. It is not guns that create the problem of war and strife within this world today. The problem is found within the dark hearts and minds of humankind. Before guns, there were archers, spears and swords, and before that, the very rocks that lay upon the ground. Even in the "Harry Potter" stories, magic wands were used as weapons. You banish guns, and people will find somthing else to kill with.

I am a Vietnam Vet and I recently visited a Veitnam Veterans Memorial near Coos Bay,OR. There I saw this quote that came from graffitti written on a latrine wall in Vietnam, which read; "THERE SHALL NOT BE PEACE UNTIL THE POWER OF LOVE OVERCOMES THE LOVE OF POWER." In my opinion, no words have ever been said that better that which discribes a true soldier's desire for peace.

God bless you Scott, your heart's in the right place.

Me. Liam.

You can tax the rich 100%, eliminate corporate subsities and then some and still not cover the huge buget shortfall and this mammoth debt that has been created. Look at Greece, Italy and and other Welfare states in the world that are facing insolvency. If you believe that this can't happen here, you're living in denial. Someone has to take the Governments credit card away and stop spending other people's money. Eventually, something has to give.

One day, as it is now in Greece, our creditors will no longer bail us out unless we take AUSTERITY MEASURES, akc manditory cuts, and that's going to hurt us all.

Currently those people who are in the top 10 percent of wage earners in the United States pay approximately 80 percent of all tax revenues taken in, whereas those in the bottom 40 percent pay no taxes at all and you want the rich to pay more? Why should a person be penalized for hard work and success?

A Flat tax accross the board, is both preferrable and fair. Based upon a percentage of what he makes, everyone would proportionatly pay the same tax as everyone else. get rid of all deductions.

From the ancient days of hunters and gatherers, people were used to seeing animals being killed, cut up, cooked and consumed. It was a necessity of life. It has come within the last few generations of Americans that they have become separated from the reality of killing animals for food. If you were to ask small children where meat comes from, many of them will tell you that it came from the "supermarket." The notion that animals have to be killed for their meat is an abstract Idea at best for most Americans.

I used to work at a poultry processing plant where thousands of chickens were slaughtered every hour. Just about every day, I see trucks pulling semi-trailers filled with hogs bound for the slaughter houses in Hatfield, PA to become bacon, ham, pork chops, sausages and who knows what. All of this is done behind closed doors, separating the gory details from the public outside who really don't want to know what's happening inside, behind those closed doors.

Human beings are not the only creatures who walk the earth, killing other animals for food. Do we condemn the actions of a lion for killing a zebra, or a grizzly bear for catching a salmon? Of course not! Yet their are many who believe that we humans should somehow be above that, that killing animals for food is unethical and cruel. What a joke!

If you don't like to see animals killed in order to feed human beings, that's fine with me. You can go on eating vegetables all you want. Just don't preach to me about animal cruelty and try to impose your will upon me, I don't want to hear it.

Comparing the German Autobahn to most US Interstate highways is like comparing a race car to a rusty pickup truck. I know, I've driven on the Autobahn, it's a modern marrvel. You could be driving at 80 mph and it would feel like 50 or less. The road surface would be the envey of most NASCAR racetracks, smooth as glass and impeccably maintained. The road itself is as streight as a rifle shot for miles at a time with no sharp curves. In some places on the Autobahn, (not all) you can easily drive 120 mph without fear. Simply put, the Autobahn was engineered for high speeds.

On the other hand, most US Interstate highways are in a poor state of maintenance. Imagine driving at 120 mph and you hit a pothole. Many so-called "Expressways" in the US Northeast are not even safe to drive at 55 mph, most of which are overcrowded. I wouldn't recommend driving over 80 mph on any US Interstate highway, they weren't engineered for high speeds like the Autobahn.

Another difference in Germany compared to the US are the restictions on driving. In Germany, you could lose your liscense if you were caught driving using a cell phone, texting, or for that matter, even drinking a cup of coffee while on the Autobahn. You will have both hands on the wheel at all times. Vehicle safety requirements are also much stricter in Germany.