We Need To Remember the 3R’s

The formula for getting our nation back on course involves the three R’s

This column presents a concerned, conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.


Last week I heard a commentator spelling out a blueprint for our nation’s voters and leaders to follow in a quest to return our nation to a moral nation, with humanitarian principles and wise economic management. The commentator emphasized that as a nation we must first get back to “basics”. Just as sound educational systems are founded in the basic three R’s, the commentator proposed that the blueprint for us to follow involves use of the “Three R’s”, …Replace, Repeal, & Restore.
Step One – Replace:
The first step which must be accomplished is to replace the people, systems, philosophies, and culture in governments which has led our nation to the brink of destruction. Those politicians and leading bureaucrats who have entrenched themselves in the halls of Washington and State legislatures across the land must first be routed out. They all share in the responsibility of decades of poor, corrupt, self serving management philosophies which now threaten the future of our nation. They exist in both parties, and must all be held accountable. The process of purging the government of these responsible, irresponsible leaders must begin this fall in the 2010 November elections, and must continue in the 2012 elections. We must clean the way for a new generation of patriotic, fiscally conservative leaders who will put the needs of the nation ahead of the desires of their own interest, their parties, or their local area and its constituents. We must have leaders who can see past the narrow vein of self serving interest, and are willing to put the good of the good old USA before anything else. We must gain control of the legislative process. The ballot is about the only constitutional right we have left….we need to use it before it too is lost.

Step Two – Repeal:
Once the transformation of our elected leadership has occurred, the roadway will be open to begin to identify and repeal all legislation which serves special interests at the expense of others, all legislation which infringes on basic constitutional rights and freedoms, all legislation which invalidates the basic concepts upon which our founding fathers designed our government, and all legislation which creates waste and unnecessary bureaucracies. This transformation should occur at both the federal and state levels. Included in this transformation would be a meaningful return to state and local rights and a diminishing of federal influences. Our national work ethic and moral character must be restored. Personal worth, contribution to the total good, and acceptance of personal responsibilities within our society must replace the “entitlement” philosophy. These new, fresh leaders must lead the way in removing all of the years of accumulated legislation which has pulled our economic and social worth into the gutter. The list of legislative acts which need removal and or rewriting goes far beyond the current issues related to the Obama administration. This purging must include all of the special deals, vote influencing programs, unnecessary regulations, unnecessary programs, and the entire structure which has steadily infringed on personal and property rights in the name of some liberal cause.

Step Three- Restore:
The final portion of this “Three R” program involves restoring America. It involves rebuilding our national framework on a new body of law rooted in the principles proclaimed in our constitution. It involves restoring our nation’s moral structure, free capitalistic economic system, belief in the rule of the majority, expectation of personal responsibility for actions, removal of a culture of welfare and entitlements instead of a culture of productivity and contribution to national worth, restoration of states rights authority over federal demands, immediately developing solutions to the illegal immigration situation and restoring the security of our borders, removal of the influences of lobbyist from the political processes, enforcement of fiscal policies that begins to reduce our national debt, install “government in the sunshine” legislation which prevents the “back room” political deals, force reinterpretation of the “interstate commerce” clause in the constitution, repeal of the costly Davis-Bacon Act and thousands of other special interest serving pieces of legislation, enacting a body of law which reaches a reasonable definition of the real needs for environmental protection, redesign of our oppressive and politically conceived income tax legislation, and many, many more elements of existing law which is restricting our industry’s ability to compete, our people to live freely and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Once we have Washington and state governments staffed with right minded representatives they will then have the arduous task of rewriting a huge body of law which has accumulated as a product of the corruption and mismanagement of the past forty years. It will take time and hard work…but it must be done if we are to really change and revitalize our nation. The morality of a nation is reflected by the morality of its government. The reduction of the role of family, the acceptance of the fact that almost half of our nation’s children are born out of wedlock, without a father or a family to help shape their values marks the destruction of a cornerstone element of society which must be restored. We must all discontinue the practice of casually accepting this situation. We must restore a presence of religion in our government. The process must afford ALL religions equal access and presence within our governments, but should not allow the exclusion of all religions. That was not the intent of our founding fathers. They wanted to be sure our nation did not follow the course taken by England in creating a national religion, (ie. the Church of England), but they in no way intended for our nation and its leaders to ignore the presence of God. 

Rudiments- Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:
● For your information, Rep. Gene Taylor of Mississippi has introduced a bill into Congress (H.R. 4759) which would give Mexico and Canada a 60 day notice that NAFTA is null and void. The bill already has 27 sponsors. NAFTA was one of the original free trade bills passed in 1993 and marked driving the first nail into the coffin of U.S. industry.
● “Beginning in two years, 78 million people will retire, discontinue paying into social security, stop paying into retirement programs, and will begin to draw social security benefits. The problem is neither Social Security nor Medicare is ready for them. The government has made explicit and implicit promises to millions of people, but has put no money aside to keep those promises. Bernie Madoff must have been studying the federal entitlement policy when he developed his infamous Ponzi scheme.” - John Goodman speaking at Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar.
● Those two young lads I interviewed about their experiences of being legislative pages for a week are testament to the fact that the youth of our nation are still bright, studious, and wonderful. They and the millions like them are the real future of our nation. (This meets my requirements for saying something nice each week.)
● However, I can not pass up the opportunity to make the statement that since they have now worked for the State a full week, they are well on their way to qualifying for the DROP program.

“An act of bravery is taking the first step when you can not see the entire staircase” – Martin Luther King

Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.

Zapppppppp...There Goes Another Freedom!

The EPA Is Out of Control!

This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.


It has come to my attention that the EPA has just enacted another arbitrary, costly requirement which will have serious impact on almost everyone’s pocket book, and will significantly increase the cost of any renovation projects which might be needed by the home owner or business owner. It will thus reduce the occasion of these renovations, thus removing work opportunities for construction tradesmen at a time when that segment of our economy is suffering very high unemployment.

The EPA can institute these new costly, repressive requirements without any legislative oversight or prior approvals being needed. It only takes the penned signature of some high ranking, ultra liberal, green minded and empty headed EPA bureaucrat. Woe be the fate of any politician who dares speak against any of the EPA edicts, who among us would want to be branded as being against the needs of the environment, no matter how trivial, costly, or silly.

Effective April 22, the EPA autocrats have ruled that all homes, barns, and commercial buildings constructed prior to 1978, will be deemed to be “lead paint contaminated”, and when any construction materials are removed from these structures the materials must be handled and disposed in the same manner as is currently required for asbestos.

First, a fully certified, lead removal trained contractor must be used. Inspections must be conducted which are designed to detect the most minute presence of lead….even if it happens to be a natural element of the soil upon which the structure is built. The workers will be required to wear masks and protective clothing while removing and handling these terrible materials. The entire work area will have to be encased in plastic sheeting to prevent dust from escaping during the renovation. The materials must then be bagged in appropriate contamination containers for transport to a certified hazardous materials land fill. Who will pay for all of this largely unnecessary extra cost? Guess!

If a contractor does not fully comply with these requirements, the first offense fine is $35,000! So, with little fanfare or advance warning, these powerful “environ-a-crats” have again made new rules which will seriously slow our economic recovery, worsen unemployment, and unnecessarily add billions of dollars in costs for thousands of demolition or remodeling projects.

The worse part is there is no legislative oversight of these all knowing, all seeing herds of misdirected bureaucrats. They are free to enact and enforce their mission on us all, regardless of costs or impact. ZAP! There goes some more of your property rights.

Home owners, if you have a house built before 1978, and you put on new siding, repair overhangs, work on the roof, even decide to repaint an area larger than six square feet.…..big brother EPA is now in your way. In order to accomplish this work you will have to pay much more than before. Mr. Farmer, do you have an old barn or sheds which need reworking, demolition, repair? You must now be sure you are following the new rules set down by the EPA “crats” and are ready to pay for it. Mr. Businessman, does your store, factory building, or warehouse need some repairs…..watch out or Mr. Big Brother EPA will get you!

These ridiculous rules are not the pending EPA rules which are contained in the “Cap and Trade” legislation. Those rules will require you to have your home certified as up to energy efficiency standards and a license purchased stating it has been certified by Big Brother as being eligible for being sold. Otherwise, you will be prohibited by the government from selling your home unless these energy upgrades are accomplished. Another property right gone…zapped by the government.

Where are those legislators we elected to defend our property rights? It probably will not be worth the time it takes, but writing a letter of protest to Mr. Nelson or Mr. Boyd might make you feel as if you did your part and tried to “Get It Right”.

For a full printing of the new regulations, go to: epa.gov.

Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning –

● Our legislators have now extended unemployment payments to 99 weeks. That is almost two years of free money for not working. My heart goes out to those who might really not have been able to find work for two entire years of looking, but I am suspicious that the free money is encouraging many to merely stay unemployed and enjoy the money and the leisure time. I heard of one unemployed family that went to South America on vacation after they found out about the extension. It is only your tax money…so don’t worry about it.

● It appears to me that Governor Crist sold out to the power (and money) of the teachers union. I feel a fair method of judging teaching ability can be developed, and I am very much against the concept of tenure which protects those who should be terminated because of their inabilities to teach our children, or unwillingness to work.

● (Always Say Something Nice)….I applaud all of those volunteers who helped make our Spring festival a big success.

“ You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it…”

Adrian Rogers, 1931



Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.

Who Says the World is Fair?

“Might Makes Right” in the world of government


This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, let’s get to the subject of the week.


The unfettered, all knowing, all omniscient, all powerful federal EPA, and its state lapdog, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, are wielding their mighty swords of power against our county government in the name of protecting ‘Mother Earth’. They are ordering our county and its residents to spend what ever money is necessary to stop the old East Jackson Landfill which was sealed many years ago, from dripping any contamination into the underground water system.

I have no problem with that. First we must decide what is the least expensive, yet effective method of cleaning up the problem, and then it should be done. Left unattended it will probably continue to contaminate for another century, and will probably worsen.

My problem comes with the placing of all blame and thus all liability on Jackson County by an oppressive element of a higher government, the EPA. They appear to be punitive and unfair in their approach to rectification of the problem.

You see, the original permit the county received for the operation of the East Jackson Landfill was granted by the DEP. The county followed every procedure then prescribed by the EPA and DEP for the creation and subsequent operation of the landfill. They were regularly inspected by these authorities and were always found to be in compliance with the rules and regulations of that day. When the dump was closed, the county spent all required monies to close and seal the site in the exact manner specified by those authorities. We were always in compliance with their demands……Then they changed the rules.

It is a situation similar to that if a football team won a game, celebrated the victory and began preparing for the next contest. Then, at a later date they were notified that the win could not be counted, since they had scored two touchdowns by passing, and the league had just outlawed passing. They were thus penalized at a later date, even though they had complied with the rules which existed when the game was played.

Since the landfill was properly closed in 1991, the environmental movement has continued to gain power, and has thus continually expanded the scope and costs of environmental requirements on industries and on local governments. They have widened the application of rules, and have strengthened their degree of enforcement. What was once acceptable has been made unacceptable in today’s world. And, most unfairly, they are unwilling to accept any responsibility for their role in the past.

Since the DEP made all of the rules back in 1979 when the landfill was built, since the DEP performed all of the inspections, gave all of the approvals, and sanctioned all of the operations during the thirteen years the site was operated, they were complicit in any problems which might exist today. However, they have conveniently legislated immunity for themselves….thus leaving Jackson County holding the bag and shouldering the guilt….and cost of correction. This is grossly unfair! It isn’t the American Way…or what used to be the “American Way”.

The American spirit will not accept gross unfairness. It goes against our basic concepts and principles. Some of our local officials seem to be willing to merely “roll over” and let the big, bad EPA and FDEP place all of the liability on Jackson County….because that is “just the way it is”.

I can not accept that. If they have created laws for the purpose of evading any punitive damages for their bureaucratic stupidity, they have violated the constitution. If this issue comes down to huge expenses and burdens for the citizens and taxpayers of Jackson County, we should fight the process. These responsible agencies must also be held accountable. If we resist enough, and sound our protests loud enough, fairness will prevail…..and we will be “Getting it Right”!



Rudiments, Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning:

● I applaud the County Commission for carefully evaluating the fiscally responsible approach of purchasing properties which border the court house square. In the long run these purchases will prove to be wise, and at this time in this market, also frugal.

● I also applaud the volunteer committee which helped develop the new protocols for training and administering the Inmate Work Release Program. This approach saves thousands of dollars for local governments, and helps prisoners earn early release credits. It is a good concept.

● I applaud the Optimist Club for all they have done for Jackson County over the past forty five years. I do not applaud those whose decisions led to the club no longer being able to operate the concessions at MERE. The Optimist used all profits from the concessions to help our kids. Now the money will go to the private concessionaire, and into the City’s General Fund. The kids are the ones who lost in this unnecessary and unjustified change.

● I applaud the County Commission for considering modification of the existing ordinances at Spring Creek Park. I feel more reasonable approaches can be developed for keeping that beautiful creek clean of litter.

Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.

This “Double Dip” Will Have a Sour Taste

A double dip recession is still a definite possibility
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions.


Some of the economic activity indicators which the government uses to monitor what is occurring within the nation’s economy have recently shown signs of improvement. In order to bolster public attitudes and confidence, these have been widely heralded by the media as proof the economy is “turning the corner” towards recovery. I certainly hope so….but do not think so.

I have several reasons for this critical evaluation as to the ‘state of our union’. First, in my opinion what benefits the economy realized from the huge “Stimulus” influx of borrowed future tax dollars was felt among government contractors who were temporarily employed to complete the thousands of “pork” projects the bill contained, (note the word “temporarily”). Also, a major portion of these funds went into the bureaucracy to shore up budget shortfalls in most of the states, thus enabling those states to get through the year without being forced to lay off any of their “crats”. Those jobs they bragged about “saving” with stimulus money were primarily government bureaucrats.

Well, that year is almost past, and another budget year looms ahead. Unless another flush of borrowed monies are given to these states….the day of the lay-off of the sacred “crats” will be at hand, just as it was a reality during last year for private businesses and industries. Also, the current employment statistics are being buoyed by the addition of many government jobs, including census workers.

When the stimulus projects end and those contractors are forced to lay off their construction crews; when the state governments are forced to “bite the bullet” and reduce or discontinue questionable, unessential programs and thus reduce their bureaucracies, and when the census is over….there is a good chance our national unemployment levels will worsen.

Concurrent with this mounting problem, the previously discussed vulnerability of our economy because of the potential impact of sudden increases in the price we pay for gasoline which would occur if any major disruption or armed conflict exploded in the volatile Middle East. Another high potential, economy ruining, danger for the US is the international currency market. If China, Japan, or OPEC decided to discontinue using the U.S. Dollar as the international currency standard, and instead switched to the EURO, the negative impact on our situation would be immense. Also, if our banker, China, decided to discontinue issuing credit to our government, we would suddenly be overdrawn with no where to turn for capital…sound familiar?

Thus the potential for a “Double Dip” recession (or depression, depending on your personal situation) is very real. If this does occur, the resulting impact on all Americans will be severe and long lasting. For these reasons, it is very important that we vote wisely and carefully in elections during the coming decade. If we allow the policies and politicians of the past to determine our future….I fear for our nation. Now is the time to get concerned and react. Do this and you will be “Getting It Right”.

Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-

● Amendment 4 has become a topic of concern since the ramifications of the proposed legislation was presented to the County commissioners at their last session. Several organizations are working to inform the public of the impact of this proposed amendment. As is often done, the title of the amendment makes it appear it is doing one thing…while it actually is doing something else. This amendment is titled to make you think that if you vote “yes” you will be increasing your ability to impact changes in your local comprehensive plan because all changes must be decided by a referendum. This rule was cleverly derived by environmental activists who want to make it very, very difficult and time consuming for any changes in the comprehensive plan to occur. This will effectively stop all new development, slow the involved processes to a near standstill, and will increase the cost of government by increasing the number and scope of balloting. I agree, We should all vote NO to Amendment 4.

● Another controversial action is the pending legislation which would alter the criteria through which teachers are graded, given step raises, and their level of job protection. Currently, the system follows the traditional union type of administrative program in which seniority is the most important element of criteria. After a very short time the teacher is now granted “tenure” which makes it virtually impossible for administrators to terminate them, no matter how inept they are as teachers or workers. This policy has created a presence of over 170 teachers within the New York City school system who no principal wants on their staff because they are such bad teachers. As a result, they can not be terminated, so they are paid their full salaries and benefits, even though they have no duties. I know there are a few similar examples within the Jackson County School System. The existing system gives 90% of the teachers an “excellent” rating, even though 50% of our state’s children are failing. Something apparently needs to be changed, even if the unions don’t like it.

● (“Say Something Nice New Years Resolution”) Aren’t the azaleas and dogwoods Beautiful! I love the spring, even if the pollen is bad.



Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.

How We Got in This Mess...and What We Need to Do NOW!

A presentation to the Marianna Optimist Club, Tuesday March 30

Gentlemen, I speak to you today not as a Democrat, nor a Republican. I speak as a fellow American citizen who is very concerned about the future of our beloved United States of America.

Situations currently exist concerning our nation which create the potential for conditions to develop which could mark the end of life in the United States, as we know it. This situation has evolved over the past twenty-five years as a result of many, many decisions made by our leaders which were bad for the country, but were personally or politically expedient. Too many of them have repeatedly put their personal or political party desires and benefits ahead of what was good for the United States of America. This has occurred at the Federal, State, and even local levels of government. It has been a practice of both Democrats and the Republicans. It Has To Stop!

Remember the “Sucking Sound” predicted by Ross Perot? Remember his flip charts depicting the terrible prospects for economic doom which was being created by our national debt and imbalance in international trade? Remember his blasting of the pork creating, influential lobbyist in Washington and at State levels which were enticing weak politicians to do bad things? Well, ole Ross didn’t get elected….but he was certainly a wise soothsayer. The doomsdays he predicted are within clear view at the moment.

These undesirable national situations include:

● National Peril #1 : An accumulated national debt which threatens to consume a huge portion of our Gross National Product and any hope for sustained growth and improvement of our standard of living. The weight of this debt can lead us into a state of depression if not corrected.

● National Peril #2: A total dependence on the Middle East for oil, while our politicians have discussed programs for obtaining energy independence for over 25 years.

 Meanwhile they have responded to the liberal environmental extremists and blocked all attempts to increase drilling in perceived environmentally places, all increases in refinery capacity, all new nuclear power development, and mining of oil shale in the Rockies.

 If a Middle East war develops, or if those nations act as an anti-American block, they can force our weakened economy into a depression. This is a dangerous vulnerability which we should all force our politicians to eliminate immediately by utilizing ALL available energy resources and overriding the politics of the issue.

● National Peril #3: A critical U.S. dependence now exists on China for funding of our debt This is a condition which can force us into decisions which further weaken our nation. Since China has become our primary “banker” we must now always assure they are happy with the relationship between our nations. This can impact decisions on foreign policy, trade regulations and restrictions, internal economic decisions, and many other critical aspects of managing the nation. We are very vulnerable in this regard, since China could take economic action which could force our nation into bankruptcy, ….and depression. We must restore a firm belief and conviction within our leaders for fiscal responsibility….even if it means replacing most of them.

● National Peril #4: The ever widening gap in our international trade balance has an effect similar to leaches slowly weakening the host animal to which they are attached. This constant, growing outflow of U.S. funds results in a weakening of the US dollar on the international market. This weakening in value of our dollar causes us to have to pay more for things we must buy from other countries…..such as OIL!

The imbalance in trade causes you to pay more for gas at the pump. This leaves you less disposable income for other purchases for yourself and your family. These lessened purchases weakens local and national businesses which you would have purchased from if you had not been forced to pay extra for gasoline and electricity….and thus our national economy is pushed towards recession or worse…..Everything is inter-connected, and it all is working against our national interest, and our standard of living.

● National Peril #5: Another critical aspect of the situation in the US today is the fact that we have evolved into a dysfunctional form of government. At one time, both parties were comprised of a healthy mix of liberals, moderates, and conservatives. This then led to opportunity for compromise and negotiation between the parties….and led to reasonable, non-radical legislation and management decisions. This is not the condition of our nation today. Our society and the political parties have evolved toward extremism in opposite poles of the spectrum on almost every issue. The nation is almost evenly split between liberal-ism and conservative-ism. This has led to extreme, unhealthy actions when either group gains total power over the politics of the nation. When neither party has total control, gridlock prohibits any progress. Our government has thus degraded into an ineffective failure at a time when we most need good government.

In my opinion, all of the current focus over health care is very, very unfortunate. I agree it is a social and economic problem which should be attended to and corrected….however, it has totally consumed our national attention for almost a year, while these other, more critical problems have only worsened.

Immigration policies, the drug problems, abortion legislation, health care, cap and trade, environmentalism, union issues, and even expansion of entitlements seem to have been placed ahead of the REAL issues which threaten to destroy our nation. We can not afford another year of inattention to our real problems.

We must immediately force our leaders to focus on:

● A REAL quest for energy independence. This must include developing all available sources of supply, while setting aside politically inspired, foolish environmental protection barriers. The needed resources can be reaped with a deep appreciation for the environment, which is the area of needed compromise.

● Forcing fiscal responsibility on all governments. We as a citizenry must no longer casually accept inappropriate and wasteful actions by any government agency, at any level. We must force Washington to only spend within the limits of revenues, and only work under a balanced budget format. No further growth in the national debt can be tolerated. This will mean elimination of uncountable unnecessary expenditures for pork projects and programs, unnecessary regulations, unnecessary agencies, questionable entitlements and “hidden welfare” programs.

● We should modify our “free trade” policies and encourage enactment of fairly developed restrictions to trade with nations who are not competing with us on a fair and equitable basis. If their government has special subsidy programs to encourage their industries to ship overseas, if their government ignores reasonable labor laws, if their government ignores environmental regulations on their industries, if their governments provide special financial assistance for international trade, ….then the amount of these advantages at the retail level in the US should be determined, and that amount added as an import tariff. If their industries are essentially working under the same constraints as their US competitors, then no tariff would be rendered on their products. This level of fairly conceived protectionism will help bring back some of our lost jobs, reopen closed factories, and restore some industrial support to our sagging economy. At the same time, for US goods being shipped abroad to these “unfair trade partners”, the government should enact special subsidies to our exporting companies with actions which pay a portion of the shipping costs and any tariffs rendered against our products as they enter their markets. This will lessen our sickening balance of trade deficits.

● We must force our leaders to enact legislation which will loosen credit for our small businesses. As is normal with the “knee-jerk” reaction of government to a problem, they have over-reacted to a problem of not enough banking regulation, into a set of rules which are over regulatory and are choking the banks and preventing normal loans from being made to qualified and cash hungry businesses and individuals. Reason and intelligence needs to be applied to lending rules, appraisal procedures, and definition of qualifications. They have been shoved from the area of foolish looseness to suicidal tightness.

As a voting, tax paying population we must demand more for our money. In my opinion, those politicians and party leaders who have been in their positions of authority for over eight to ten years must be held accountable for our current state of the state. They must share in the blame, and should be held accountable.

● I feel that almost every politician with tenure should be voted out as soon as possible. We should then only elect qualified candidates, Republican or Democrat, who recognize the problems, understand how they came to exist, and are willing to make the hard choices before us which must be made.

I firmly believe that the American spirit is still glowing as a bright ember, ready to be inspired into a burning torch. If the American population felt that our government was impregnated with true patriots and wise, unselfish leadership, the citizens would rally to the needs of our nation. Through this sort of motivation, our people would be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to eliminate our national debts, restore the vitality of our economy and thus assure a better life here for our future generations. We would all be willing to double our taxation for a defined period of time if we knew the funds were only going to save the nation instead of into a system of corruption, favoritism, foolish pork spending, vote buying, and self serving political actions. We must sweep all who condone and participate in those actions of the past and present into oblivion, and bring forth a new form of inspired politician and a new era for our nation.

With good leadership and focus on what has to be done, our population could be moved to make the sacrifices which must occur in order to save our economy and our nation. Without that leadership, future sacrifices will also occur, but they will be involuntary and much, much worse for us all. It will be the “Economic Armageddon” for America.

We must all answer this call to action NOW. To hesitate or remain inactive will lead our nation to doomsday. It is time to “Get It Right”!

Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worth Mentioning-

My one rudiment this week is to keep my resolution to always say something nice….We should all appreciate the actions of Al Lawson, Marti Coley and Brad Drake in Tallahassee as they work to keep ACI open and operating in Jackson County.

Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.