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F0rsyth0pini0n
Sunday, April 22,2012
Nation owes
much to vets
ofWWII
Their numbers are
dwnulling rapidly, and
before many more
years pass the last will
be gone.
And as a nation we
will be poorer for it.
The veterans of
World War II truly are
a unique group in the
United States, the likes
of which we w ill never
see again in this coun
try.
One of that group
was honored in
Cumming last week,
when Johnson W.
“Dub” Brown was pre¬
sented long overdue
medals in recognition
of his service under fire
nearly 70 years ago.
U.S. Rep. Tom
Graves was on hand to
present the medals and
ribbons to Brow n, a
veteran of the historic
assault on Omaha
Beach.
Like many of those
who served w ith valor,
honor and distinction
in World War II.
Brow n, according to
his family, seldom talk¬
ed of his exploits in the
war. It fell to family
members to start ihe
effort that eight years
later resulted in his
belated recognition by
the country he served
so well.
Last week’s ceremo¬
ny served as a reminder
of a military conflict
the likes of which
many of us have a hard
time imagining, a war
that saw some 16 mil¬
lion U.S. veterans
serve, with fewer than
I
OBAMA
K>*ev or
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR
Politics behind
tea party complaint
Political season is in full
force, as evidenced by former
Commissioner A.J Pritchett’s
assault on the local tea party.
Mr. Pritchett’s broadside is
also an attack on the First
Amendment, which guarantees
the right of the people to
peaceably assemble But
Pritchett would be satisfied
with chilling (hat right by
imposing whatever unconstitu¬
tional, bureaucratic hurdles
that he could muster.
As a quick reminder. Mr
Pritchett was elected as a
Republican before subsequent¬
ly endorsing a Democrat for
the commissioner’s post. For
that action, the local
Republican Party attempted to
remove him from its county
committee In the most recent
election cycle, he attempted a
last minute attack on Rep.
Mike Dudgeon. Perhaps
Pritchett’s fears w«re warrant¬
ed since the popular Dudgeon
Send a letter to the editor to P.O. Box 210 Cumming, GA 30028; tax it to (770) 889-6017; or e-mail«to cditor<8>fonythnews.com.
2 million still alive
today.
As Civil War Gen.
William T. Sherman
famously noted, "War
is hell," and that has
never been more obvi¬
ous than during World
War 11, the deadliest
conflict in the history
of the world.
Estimates are that 60
million or more people
were killed as a result
of the war, in which 61
countries were
involved.
Warfare has changed
much over the decades,
and it is unlikely we
w ill ever again sec a
commitment of man¬
power to battlefields
like those on the cam¬
paigns of World War II.
The names of the
battles are etched in
our national memory;
the images of
American troops as
much a part of our her¬
itage as the American
flag.
They were the great¬
est of the "Greatest
Generation," and far
too many of them never
returned home from the
foreign countries to
which they were sent.
It is impossible to
overstate the debt owed
to those who served in
World War II. and it
was nice last week to
see one of those w ho
did get the recognition
he deserved.
The nation owes a
debt of gratitude to the
Dub Browns of the
world that can never be
repaid.
has been a tea party poster
child in just his first term
All of this begs the ques¬
tion. what is really going on
with his complaint? Pritchett
seems to he upset that Dennis
Brown might he benefiting
from his association with the
local tea party. Why would
Pritchett he troubled by that" 7
Let's examine who Dennis
Brown is challenging. That
would he Brian Tam — the
same Tam that, like Pritchett,
actively opposed Rep. Mike
Dudgeon in the last election
cycle.
Clearly this is a ruse designed
to benefit Commissioner Tam in
some way and to dishearten the
local tea party, whom 1 suspect
Commissioner Tam rightfully
fears It is an open declaration
of war on those that are attempt
ing to hold the local establish
ment class accountable for its
actions. However,- I think
Pritchett and Tam have desper¬
ately miscalculated The local
tea party, unlike the current iter¬
ation of the local GOP. is not a
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Soaking the rich
Of course ‘Buffett rule is a popular idea
for millions who pay no income taxes at all
President Barack
Obama calls his pro¬
posed tax on millionaires
the "Buffett rule.” based
on financier Wanen
Buffett's claim that he
pays a lower tax rate
than his secretary .
Obama claims that the
"Buffett rule” asks mil¬
lionaires to "do thetr fair
share" by paying the
same income tax rate
that middle-class fami¬
lies pay.
Despite a sluggish
recovery and depressing
job creation numbers, the
president isn't pushing
for policies that would
stimulate the economy
and create jobs; he's
focusing on keeping his
own job. On Monday, the
Senate voted 51 -45 —
shy of the 60 votes need¬
ed — on a version of the
"Buffett rule.”
FactCheck.org looked
into the “Buffett rule"
and took Obama and
Vice President Joe Biden
to task for leaving the
“false impression that
many, if not most, mil¬
lionaires (people w ho
earn $1 million or more
a year) are paying a
lower tax rate than the
middle class The fact is
shrinking violet. Its leadership
has demonstrated that it is up
for the fight
Chris Goldston
Cumming
Help appreciated in
horse rescue effort
A short time ago, we lost
our sweet ol' girl. Rosie (one
of our very elderly horses). I
was overwhelmed by the com¬
passion shown to my family
by the Forsyth County F ire
Department and the city of
Milton Fire Department Horse
Equine Rescue Department
After placing a call, as
directed by our family equine
vet. Dr. Amanda Ccrniglia. the
Forsyth County Eire
Department (Doc Bramlett
Rd.) promptly arrived along
with other firemen from the
area After assessing the situa¬
tion, they proceeded to call the
city of Milton Equine Rescue
team (a part of the fire depart
menu and along with Dr.
DEBRA SAUNDERS
Columnist
that even without the
Buffett Rule, ’more than
99 percent of million¬
aires will pay’ a higher
tax rate than those in the
very middle of the
income range in fiscal
year 2015, according to
the nonpartisan Tax
Policy Center”
Tax Policy Center bud¬
get guru Roberton
Williams figured that
middle-class families
pay about 15 percent of
their income on taxes,
whereas the average $ I
million earner pays 24
percent in taxes.
So w hy ts Obama
pushing to raise million¬
aires' tax rate to a mini¬
mum of 30 percent —
that is. double the mid¬
dle-class tax rate in
the name of fairness? A
CNN poll shows that 72
percent of Americans
think the "Buffett rule"
is dandy. As Scott A
Hodge, president of the
Washington-based Tax
Amanda and my farrier Nick
Thompson, tried their very
best to save her
The team worked for a very
long time, never giving up In
the end, she was just too weak
to survive, f rom the bottom
of my heart, thank you all for
Letter policy
The Forsyth County
News welcomes your
opinions on issues of pub¬
lic concern.
Letters must be signed
and include full address
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Names and hometowns
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The same writer or group
This is a page of opinion — ours, yours and
others. Signed columns and cartoons are the
opinions of the writers and artists, and they
may not reflect our views.
Foundation, observed
Monday, if the president
suggested Americans tax
Canadians to balance the
budget, that probably
would poll well. too.
Americans love taxes
that other people pay.
What's the matter with
taxing millionaires?
Hodge watches the
White House and hears
rhetoric that "has had a
chilling effect on eco¬
nomic activity”
By pushing for a mil¬
lionaires’ tax with no
reforms attached, the
White House has sent a
message that whenever
Washington overspends,
the political class will
squeeze the rich.
Hodge notes that while
237.000 millionaires
paid 20 percent of
income taxes in 2009,
some 58 million filers
paid payroll taxes hut no
federal income taxes at
all (Most earned less
than $50,000 > That’s 41
percent of income tax fil¬
ers. “the largest share of
nonpayers since World
War II ."
Personally.! could
accept a deficit reduction
package that increased
revenue, flattened tax
the kindness, sensitivity, and
respect during such a very dif¬
ficult time. The citizens of
Forsyth arc very privileged to
have such caring professionals.
Jan Belinfante
Cumming
may only submit one let¬
ter per month for consid¬
eration.
Letters must be submit¬
ted by noon Wednesday
for Sunday publication.
We do not publish poetry
or blanket letters and gen¬
erally do not publish let¬
ters concerning consumer
complaints. Unsigned or
incorrectly identified let¬
ters will be withheld.
Mail letters to the
Forsyth County News, P.O.
Box 210, Cumming, GA
30028, hand deliver to
302 Veterans Memorial
Blvd., fax to (770) 889-6017
or e-mail to editor@for
sythnews.com.
rates, shaved loopholes
and reformed entitlement
spending — along the
lines of a draft presented
by the Simpson-Bowles
commission, created by,
and then ignored by, the
president. Reforms
should stimulate the
economy.
But the “Buffett rule"
represents the exact
opposite of Simpson
Bowles. By talking as if
America could balance
its books by squeezing
the rich. Obama is push¬
ing the notion of what
Hodge called “free gov¬
ernment unrestrained
entitlement spending,
fewer taxpayers and a
bigger bite on working
families. In the "Buffett
rule" world, a large
chunk of voters know
that no matter how big
government grows, they
won't have to pay for it.
It’s not fair. It’s not in
the best interests of the
country. It’s just good
politics, in the worst
sense.
Debra J. Saunders is a
nationally syndicated col¬
umnist. You may e-mail
her: dsaunders@sfchroni
cle.com.