This is Viewpoints for Friday, June 3, 2016

She can’t but she can

I writing in regard to Carl Pirkle’s letter. I was just wondering if he has read the Declaration of Independence. I believe he should. I could tell by his letter that he has read at least part of the Constitution. He was trying to say Hillary could not do away with the Second Amendment. He must read the news.

We have freedom of speech, but the courts have begun to limit what we can say about religion. If you say you have religious reasons for not approving of homosexuality, you can be arrested for hate speech. If you talk about your religion in a school, you can be removed. Maybe she can’t abolish the Second Amendment but she can have all guns registered, limit where you can have a gun, what kind of guns and how many you can own, stop the making of ammunition, tax ammunition and guns, etc.

Our basic rights are being eroded by people who are “politically correct.” Politically Correct means you can believe anything you want but believe like me. If Hillary Clinton is elected, she will name liberal Supreme Court justices who will try to negate the Constitution. People beware.

‘Living Constitution’

Stephen Beaty correctly points out that Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, as president, could not abolish the Second Amendment. But, destroy it for all intents and purposes. She could and would because she has a firm anti-gun rights position in keeping with the Democratic Party platform. The current Supreme Court has four politically activist justices that include Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Beaty wishes that more Americans knew their Constitution. I wish the SCOTUS justices upheld their sworn sacred oaths to defend our Constitution.

The aforementioned justices follow their activist political agendas without regard for the content or intent of the Constitution. If elected, Clinton would undoubtedly appoint yet another like minded justice at which time the SCOTUS would reconsider the Heller vs. D.C decision. The Heller case established that the ownership of firearms is an individual right. The resulting decision of the new hearing would be a foregone conclusion resulting in government being able to effectively destroy private ownership of firearms.

Those who desire a “Living Constitution” actually favor no Constitution as the meaning would change according to how the political winds blow. Heller vs. D.C. was decided correctly. The anti-gun crowd cannot adequately explain how the Second Amendment alone is not an individual right when included with the Bill of Rights which are all guarantees of individual rights. Would the Founding Fathers have included it if they intended otherwise?

Worst ever

I said it before and will again, maybe we need to try a government with no president. Seems to me we haven’t had a real one in a long time. I have been eligible to vote for almost 50 years and this is shaping up to be the worst contest ever. Secretary Clinton considers Republicans the enemy. Not the opposition government, but the enemy. I think she feels that way about Republican citizens also. Donald Trump is yet to learn to not be so abrasive and insulting. It was kind of fun at first, but now, it’s irritating to say the least.

Speaker Ryan is, in effect, supporting Secretary Clinton. I have no enemies in politics. I have some, well many, who I disagree with, but that is the system. Please, if you care, contact the candidates and ask them to act civil. No more snide remarks, no more laughing at the other person. Tell them they are running for the presidency of the United States, not for prom queenl. But more important, folks, stay informed, and please vote.

Business and education partnership

It is clear that Macon-Bibb County needs to create more opportunities for our children and families, and to develop graduates with college or career ready skills. It is up to our community of business leaders and educators to lead this charge.

The first step was the creation 18 months ago of the Business Education Partnership (BEP), a key component of the OneMacon! strategic plan. This group, made up of active business leaders and educators, and led by two co-chairmen, one from the business community and the superintendent of schools, seeks to provide resources that directly support the Bibb County School District’s strategic plan.

The BEP matches the resources of over 100 community agencies to the needs of the Bibb County students. Also, the BEP looks for new initiatives to introduce — two examples shine brightly. First, the BEP recommended to the school board that an independent Citizen Advisory Committee be appointed to provide community input for the spending of ESPLOST dollars, helping ensure overwhelming approval by the voters last fall. Second, the BEP identified and recommended to the school board that they evaluate author Stephen Covey’s innovative program called “The Leader in Me.” Teachers and administrators who have implemented “The Leader in Me” report huge improvements in our students’ behavior and performance in the classroom.

As the first business co-chair of the BEP, I encourage you to join the BEP to invest in our children’s futures. We meet on the second Thursday morning of each month at 7:30a.m. in the Bibb County School District Board Room, 484 Mulberry Street. See you there.

Release of felons

Lets take pity on the citizens of California, Arizona and New Mexico. They will be swamped by criminal aliens if the Sentencing Reform Act as currently written passes Congress. This legislation would release thousands of dangerous non-citizen offenders at a time when the Obama administration has shown a refusal to deport even the most violent criminal aliens. Twenty five percent of all federal trafficking convictions and 77 percent of all drug possession convictions are handed down to non-citizens. Eighty five percent of federal drug possession charges in FY 2015 occurred in districts along the Southwest border.

If the Act passes, non-citizen criminals upon release from jail will swamp the border states, unless they are deported. And. I'm pretty sure that the Obama administration won't let that happen.

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Friday, June 3, 2016."