This is Viewpoints for Thursday, July 28, 2016

The following letter was published Tuesday but was attributed to the wrong author.

The battle within

As I look at history in America, and its inhabitants’continuous and relentless efforts to kill each other daily, I am surprised we haven’t self-destructed. The American Civil War claimed about 750,000 lives in its struggle to emancipate slaves between 1861 and 1865, which on paper was a victorious cause. But the lives that were loss also had loved ones who couldn’t feel victory or defeat, and many are them are still fighting.

The Native Americans are still at war. The African Americans are at war along with Hispanic Americans, and so are our political parties. We also have a major war going on in the institutions that should be the bridge to help these victims cross over these trouble waters. But these institutions have lost their power and are continuously accepting Satan’s lies and teaching them and following them in words and in deeds.

Jesus said before his word would fail, heaven and Earth would end. Why have most churches given up? Is it because Jehovah is not trustworthy, or is it the war Paul spoke of in Romans 7:23:24 about his heart, his mind and flesh were at war. Most of us are at war within ourselves. The body of Christ could be that bridge for the warriors to travel to safety, if they would only believe that Jesus is the bridge over life’s troubles.

Hard work wins

Congratulations to those who won their political races in May and July. This has been one the strangest political seasons I’ve ever witnessed. Candidates passed away, resigned their seats, suspended their campaigns and were removed because of residency issues. The results prove that candidates win when they show up for community forums, share their plans and vision for the community and engage the voters they wish to represent. Candidates who buy yard signs but are “unavailable for comment” lose.

Our community is on the move. It’s time for our commission and school board members to partner up to ensure we are all working toward the same goals of educating our community and improving our tax base. We should work together to pass the new SPLOST and to oppose the governor’s plan to take over local schools. I take ownership for standing up for consolidation and I’m ready to do the same to defend our school board.

This November, voters will be asked to approve an amendment to the Georgia Constitution to create “Opportunity School Districts.” The wording the voters will see on their ballots is deceptive and makes it sound like this is an amendment to improve education. It would actually shift control of local schools from our locally elected school board to a new state bureaucracy controlled by the governor. Please join me in opposing this hostile takeover of our local schools and vote “no” for the Opportunity School District amendment.

Enjoyed the writers

Will Daniels’ letter entitled “Cummings and a Chinaman,” John Wayne Dobson’s letter titled “What changed?” And Johanna Sohacki’s letter on “Assimilation,” were winners. I enjoyed them all because I agreed with them all. Imagine that. Thanks, writers. Good to know a few people out there sometimes look at the world the way I do. Keep writing, everyone.

Undemocratic

The Democrats are not democratic.

H-2B visas

Some in Congress are pushing to quadruple H-2B visa numbers to 264,000. Doing so would harm all American workers, especially lower-skilled and less-educated Americans. H-2B visas typically cover seasonal, entry-level or unskilled jobs. These visas disproportionately harm young Americans. Increasing H-2B visa numbers will prevent thousands more young Americans from entering the workplace.

The most recent U-6 unemployment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show just how difficult it is for young Americans and less-educated Americans to find work. According to the BLS, 16.4 percent of young Americans (18-29) who have not graduated high school are unemployed. When only native-born Americans are taken into account, this figure jumps to 20 percent. Young Americans with only a high school diploma have a U-6 unemployment rate of 11.3 percent and young native-born Americans have a rate of 11.8 percent.

Investigative reports have shown that businesses are more than willing to fire American workers when H-2B workers become available. It’s clear that the H-2B program, which is fraught with abuse, harms young Americans and should not be expanded. If you have a non-employed youngster at home, be advised.

‘Beltway Bunglers’

Many people, especially in the media and government, use acronyms regularly. Prime examples are POTUS (President of the United States), COTUS (Congress of the United States) and SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States). I believe that there should be a blanket term for the federal government. I wonder how this government would be classified if they were a stage play. I submit that multiple choice should be used in this determination: A-Comedy; B-Farce; C-Satire; D-Tragedy; and E-All of the above. It seems that there can be little doubt that the correct choice would be “E.”

Given the choices in the presidential debacle, I fear we are in for four more years that one can optimistically only hope will be no worse than the past 15 years, when promises were made with no hope of keeping but which truly sounded good. Keep in mind the fact that reality precludes most candidates’ promises from being kept. Let us hope the Beltway Bunglers can learn the meaning of the words “compromise” and “statesmanship” and pull us out of this mess.

First lady first?

Michelle Obama speaking at the Democratic National Convention marked the first time that a first lady spoke at a Republican or Democratic national convention.

According to National First Ladies Library, Eleanor Roosevelt spoke as the incument first lady in 1940, Pat Nixon in 1972, Nancy Reagan in 1984, Barbara Bush in 1992 and Hillary Clinton in 1996.

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Thursday, July 28, 2016."