Limited government was over a long time ago
Re: “No, Congressman, government does have limits,” editorial, Aug. 3
This editorial slams Rep. Pete Stark’s “monarchical attitudes [which] the American Revolution was fought to overcome” for honestly pointing out that the federal government can constitutionally do almost anything.
That Rubicon was crossed long ago, as far back as FDR and maybe even Lincoln, when the federal government got away with expanding its powers beyond those the Constitution specifically enumerated. It then started performing functions “unforeseen” by the Framers, but desired by the people so long as the Constitution did not explicitly prohibit them.
Notwithstanding the highfalutin rhetoric used to justify it, the American Revolution merely transferred the monarch’s powers to the people via their instrument, the government. The Founders’ ulterior purpose was to erase King George III’s hated “Proclamation Line,” which reserved the fertile lands west of the Appalachians so that the “Empire of Liberty” they had in mind could metastasize from sea to shining sea.
Like its Roman antecedent, America was a republic only until it metamorphosized into the empire it was designed to be.
Dino Drudi
Alexandria
President Obama should militarize the border
Re: “White House provides a back door to amnesty,” Aug. 2
Instead of using an executive order to abdicate his duty to protect our southern border from the illegal alien invasion, President Obama should stop intimidating Arizona’s attempt at self- defense, militarize the entire border, slam the door and keep it shut. This is a serious matter of national security.
In addition, for the sake of the states and the national debt, all federal aid — including health care and education for illegal aliens — should be stopped. In these dire economic times, such aid is simply overwhelming federal and state budgets.
American citizens’ message to Obama should be: “Do your job or abdicate your position as president.”
Daniel B. Jeffs
Apple Valley, Calif.
Multi-use hemp should not be illegal
It’s time for real change. We need to legalize hemp in America. It’s shocking that Canadian farmers make $200 to $500 more per acre growing hemp than American farmers make growing anything else.
Why is hemp illegal in America? George Washington grew it. Hemp produces four times more paper per acre than trees. It produces three times as much oil per acre as corn, which makes it a more viable plant than corn for ethanol production. Hemp also needs no pesticides or herbicides to grow.
Danton Lee
Washington
