Lack of history part of dumbed-down curriculum Re: “It’s time Americans rediscover our Constitution,” Feb. 4
Bruce Cole does not go far enough pointing out what schools should be teaching our youth today. History cannot be changed editorially. It is what it is, so educators should suck it up and realize that whether they like it or not, the number of immigrants who want to come here demonstrates that this country is one of the most unique and desirable in the world.
The ability to read, write, perform basic mathematic functions and understand how the physical world works is equally important. When I listen to some of my children’s friends talk, I realize that they know all about oral sex, what entitlements they deserve, how the government has the answer to all their problems, and how to have great self-esteem despite their ignorance.
Unfortunately, they don’t know how many ounces there are in a pound or how to make change.
Ben Arnold
Centreville
Defense budget can be cut without weakening U.S.
Re: “Obama’s foreign policy: Peace through a weakened America,” Feb. 2
Jeb Babbin’s article claiming that President Obama is weakening America is one of the most ridiculous of the year. He and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have certainly not “reduced or eliminated most key weapons systems.”
Current military spending by the United States is virtually equal to that of the entire rest of the world combined. The fiscal 2011 defense budget submitted by Obama is larger, in real dollar terms, than any since World War II, even greater than during the Reagan buildup.
In the 1980s we faced an adversary with thousands of nuclear warheads and a standing army of millions. Now we face a technologically unsophisticated adversary numbering in the hundreds at most. The defense budget can and should be cut to reduce our deficit. The F-22 promoted by Babbin is a nightmare, requiring many hours of maintenance for each flight hour. He needs to stop claiming that anyone who wants to eliminate it and other selected weapons systems is “weakening America.”
Bruce Sartwell
Laurel
Lawyers, judges have lots to lose under Obamacare
Obamacare should be renamed the Lawyer and Judges Unemployment Act. If the Supreme Court rules that the individual mandate is constitutional and even inactivity is covered by the interstate commerce clause, who needs them?
Right now, the clause covers many areas of everyday life. Many lawyers and judges make a good living litigating thousands of lawsuits every year due to the vagaries and ambiguity of this clause.
But if inactivity is included, there will no longer be any reason to go to court. How in the world does an individual or corporation challenge a law that has such a broad spectrum that it includes a mandate just for being alive?
Robert R. Jacobs
Phoenix
