This is Viewpoints for Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016

The UK way?

Frank Gadbois, once again, attacks someone who doesn't agree with his thinking. While Arthur Brook is perfectly capable of defending himself, let me offer these few words on his behalf. To paraphrase Gadbois, Brook knows a lot more than the rest of us. Funny. Every letter Gadbois has written to the paper, pontificating on many subjects, he offers his viewpoint as the one and only solution. Never mind that there are honest policy differences, something he refuses to accept. He's correct — everyone else is wrong and misguided.

In my opinion, Gadbois is a disillusioned progressive socialist who wishes he lived in the U.K. Many of us here share that with him. He will give his opinion (opinions are like, well, you know, everybody has one) and his is no more informed than anyone else's, especially concerning events in Macon-Bibb County.

If Gadbois had his way, private ownership of guns would be forbidden because, well that's the way it is in the U.K., never mind the Second Amendment. We would have socialized medicine because, well, that's the way it is in the U.K. Maybe its time for him to finally accept that the U.S. broke free of British rule in 1776.

— Bert Peters

Warner Robins

It's only money

The Telegraph's Editorial Board wants to know where will the money come from to fund the 2017 deficit-busting budget? It will come from China, just like it has for the last 15 years.

The 2016 budget is more than $4 trillion. In order to get it approved, Congress suspended the debt limit until March 2017. By that time the debt will be more than $20 trillion. To avoid a government shutdown, the Democrats and Republicans agreed to fund all of their pet programs. That is why we have another deficit-busting budget.

The proposed 2017 budget is for $4.2 trillion, and a significant amount will have to be borrowed. Since it's an election year, Congress will load the budget with freebies to ensure that incumbents are re-elected. Thus another deficit-busting budget. I would not be surprised if Congress suspends the debt limit until March 2018 to avoid a government shutdown in 2017. By that time the debt will be more than $22 trillion.

The budget is divided into two spending categories; discretionary, which is 34 percent of the budget, and mandatory, which is 66 percent of the budget. Discretionary spending can be spent to fund the military, VA, education, infrastructure and other agencies. Mandatory spending has to be spent on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other government obligations. about 7 percent of mandatory Spending is used to pay interest on the debt. As debt increases, so does the amount of interest.

The new president and the re-elected Congress will have to negotiate the 2018 budget. So far none of the presidential candidates have presented specific plans to stop deficit spending, reduce the debt and revise the tax code. Many claim they will increase spending on the military and border security but do not explain how they will pay for it.

Voters have an obligation to demand that candidates explain how they will end the devastating financial spiral we are experiencing. As debt increases so does the risk of default. Before we reach that time, Congress will aggressively reduce spending and dramatically increase taxes.

— Jim Costello

Perry

A Valentine story

When I saw the headline, I knew this could be the perfect Valentine story for our times. The headline read, "Man says sweetheart stabbed him for giving another woman her valentine." Thanks once again to my favorite Telegraph reporter, Joe Kovac Jr.

The facts are simple. Late in the evening of Valentine's Day, Jarvis Williams was stabbed in the arm and shoulder by his girlfriend. Early in the day, he had presented her with a bunch of balloons as her Valentine gift, but later he had taken them down the street to another woman. The original girlfriend found out about this, and, when Jarvis was returning home, she rushed out of her house and stabbed him.

Oh, poor Jarvis! How many rules of Valentine's Day did he violate?

1. It is better to give candy than balloons.

2. Is unwise to attempt to repurpose a Valentine gift from one woman to another.

3. If you are going to repurpose a gift from one woman to another, it is better to make sure they don't live in the same neighborhood, better even if they don't live in the same state.

4. It is better to give candy than balloons. (This is a point that can't be made too often.)

Keeping in mind, as the poet says, "the course of true love never does run smooth," Jarvis refused to press charges. This was perhaps the only smart thing he did all day.

— Charles J. Pecor

Macon

Turnabout

The Republicans are threatening to not even consider President Obama's Supreme Court nominee. Preferring that the next president make the pick. If one party decides to leave a Supreme Court seat vacant, the other will follow suit. Say for instance the Republicans win the White House in November (a chilling thought) but lose enough of their own up for re-election Senate seats that the Democrats take over. Does that mean that the Supreme Court will have to operate with eight justices for the next four years or more?

The precedent that the GOP has set may haunt this country for decades. The judicial branch may become as dysfunctional as the executive and legislative branches. They should end the petty political grandstanding and just do their jobs.

— William D. Carter

Bonaire

Lesser of evils?

Donald Trump is on a roll. It appears that he will probably be the Republican candidate for president. I hope the voters are not naïve enough to believe he would be the best choice, or even a good choice, for this high office, and will vote against him whenever possible.

If Trump and Hillary Clinton are the choices for president, it will be the first time in history that a loud mouth buffoon will be running against a not yet convicted criminal, but give it time.

Today, it appears that Cruz would be the Republican's best choice, and if you believe the news, he doesn't get along well with his GOP brethren.

Now what?

— Walter Huckeba

Perry

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 9:32 PM.