This is Viewpoints for Sunday, August 23, 2015
Drowning out consumers
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has already returned nearly $11 billion to over 26 million consumers cheated by Wall Street and other financial companies. Additionally, it is taking complaints from financial consumers who have been wronged. There have been 18,755 Georgians who have filed complaints so far. Complaints can be filed on its website at: www.consumer finance.gov/complaint.
The CFPB is the only federal agency dedicated to protecting consumers of financial products and services. It was created by Congress and is the crowning achievement of Wall Street reform. It’s therefore disappointing that members of Congress from Georgia are leading the effort to keep the CFPB from doing its job.
Sen. David Perdue is the chief sponsor of a bill that is co-sponsored by Sen. Johnny Isakson and would strip the CFPB of its independent funding from the Federal Reserve and leave it up to Congress. How much money would Congress, which received nearly half a billion dollars in contributions from the financial sector for the 2013-2014 campaign cycle, decide to budget for this watchdog?
If more Georgians contact our members of Congress in support of the CFPB, we can make sure financial companies are kept in check and the voices of consumers don’t get drowned out.
— Mike Litt
Georgia PIRG
Federal Consumer Program Advocate
New oath
What will be the new Boy Scout oath and law now that the BSA has completely lifted its LGBT ban on leaders and members? It is lying and hypocrisy for scouts to raise their hands and swear “on their honor ... to do their duty to God and country ... and keep themselves morally straight.”
The Bible says concerning duty to God: “Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV). “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” (Leviticus 18:22; Genesis 13:13; Ephesians 5:11).
Duty to country: Sodomy “defiles nations” and “cries greatly to God for their destruction” (Leviticus 18:22-30; Genesis 18:20; 19:13). “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).
Morally straight means “not deviating from good/right conduct, according to God’s law, to evil/wrong conduct” (Webster’s 1828 dictionary). Instead of “keeping themselves morally straight,” the Bible says gay scouts “change,” “dishonor,” “corrupt” and “defile themselves with mankind,” committing sins “against nature,” which their maker declares an “abomination” (Romans 1:24-26; Hosea 9:9; Judges 19:16-22; Ezekiel 16:46,47; 1Timothy 1:10). The BSA now gives boys young as seven and young men leaders whom God calls “effeminate” and “abusers of themselves with mankind” (1 Corinthians 6:9).
Instead of remaining “trustworthy,” “brave,” “loyal” and “reverent” in its “duty to God and country,” the BSA has betrayed God and country for “the love of money” (1 Timothy 6:10) and corrupted itself. It fears political correctness and loss of revenue from corporate sponsors more than God.
— Michael W. Ellis
Eagle Scout 1968
Belton, Texas
Reason for the attitudes
Last Friday I went to the movies for the opening of “Straight Outta Compton,” the biopic about the pioneering rap group N.W.A. As I approached the theater I noticed a heavy police presence outside. I wondered if it was because of the recent rash of movie theater related mass shootings. I was later informed that it was based on isolated 20-year old incidents of violence surrounding black movie openings.
Standing in the lobby, I noticed an officer tell a young man to pull his pants up. I was reminded of the Reconstruction era laws designed to restrict the freedom of free African-Americans. I remembered that the impetus of modern policing in this country was to disassemble meetings organized by groups of slaves and to catch runaways in the South.
The movie featured numerous scenes of police officers acting as an occupying and brutalizing force in the neighborhoods which birthed those young black minds and inspiring the expletive-laden anthem “F the Police.” The irony was not lost on me. I wondered how we could ever move beyond that sentiment when simply attending a movie evokes the watchful eye of our law enforcement overseers.
“Straight Outta Compton” was a great film and it had one of the biggest August openings in history to the tune of about $59 million. Forbes reports there were zero incidents of violence. This served as another reminder that being black in America is automatically criminal.
— Reggie McClendon
Macon
Big money politics
Money in politics is destroying America and democracy. It is crippling the middle class and is creating more poor people. In the recent Fox News Republican debate in Cleveland, Donald Trump did the country a big service by explaining, or exposing, how big-money campaign donors buy politicians and get a favorable return on their donor investments. I didn’t see anyone on the two stages in Cleveland who wants to mend our broken politics.
Vermont independent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, is the only candidate in the 2016 presidential race who consistently addresses the serious big-money-in-politics issue. The chances of Sanders becoming president might be rather slim, but he has the integrity, courage and determination to wage peace and to fight for the 99 percent.
Each succeeding presidential election cycle, campaign spending increases by millions of dollars. What a waste of money that could be better spent. Now, more than ever, America needs to go to public financing of political campaigns. Sen. Sanders would like to go the public financing route, which if adopted, would help lessen corruption in government and the unjust influence of big-money donors who give for selfish self-interest reasons.
— Paul Lam Whiteley Sr.
Louisville, Ky.
‘Robert the Bruce’
Thank you for mentioning my ancestor, Robert the Bruce, each year on June 23 and or June 24 in “Today In History.” A small thing, I know, but it means a lot to me.
— Susan Ganus
Warner Robins
This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 7:27 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, August 23, 2015 ."