Much has been published about the penalties imposed upon (now former) Rock Island State's Attorney Jeff Terronez for purchasing alcohol for an underage girl.

"He who makes judgment without hearing both sides, though the judgment be just, is himself unjust." (Ancient legal maxim.)

The Illinois Constitution states: "All penalties shall be determined both according to the seriousness of the offense and with the objective of restoring the offender to useful citizenship. No conviction shall work corruption of blood or forfeiture of estate. No person shall be transported out of the state for an offense committed within the state."

We should, first, look at the seriousness of the offense. Have there been others who have purchased alcohol for her? Has she purchased alcohol for herself? How serious was the purchase of alcohol by this offender? Was it merely part of many instances when she acquired alcohol? Is this young girl more mature than her years?

Candidates brought forward by the GOP and the Democratic parties represent their parties and the special interests that fund them, not you and me. These candidates must conform to one of the two, usually diametrically opposed, political platforms. This candidate-selection process gives us fiction-based polarizing campaigns, a failed education system, trillions in public debt, and a tax system for special interests.

Candidates should represent the people who elect them. That's how the U.S. House of Representatives is supposed to work - members represent the voters from geographic districts within each state. We should be voting for individual candidates, not a political party.

There is a process that does allow citizen representatives to be selected by the people in their local district. These candidates are not associated with any political party and will limit themselves to two terms. Go to GOOOH.com to learn more.

Serving in Congress should be an honor, not a career.

Billy D. Clifford
Austin, Texas

I have a bone to pick with you.

I want to start off saying that I thoroughly enjoy your publication and read it every other week. I think you are a great contributor to the growing culture of the Quad Cities that is much needed and appreciated. With that said ... the bone.

The "Best of the Quad Cities" for fall of 2011 was disappointing to say the least. It is not a good representation of the entire area given to the nature of how the submissions were collected and whom they were collected from. In the introduction it's mentioned that it was like "pulling teeth" to get people to participate in this style of survey. It is evident from the results that this way of polling the public's opinion did not work.

"What if conservatives who preach small government wake up and realize that our interventionist foreign policy provides the greatest incentive to expand the government?" - Ron Paul before the U.S. House of Representatives, February 12, 2009

It baffles me how some conservatives who rail against the excess and waste of big government here at home, in particular its uncanny ability to mismanage and squander our money, still have this benevolent view of government when it comes to our meddling abroad. Not only that, but how can we with a straight face decry the welfare state (socialism) here at home, all the while endorsing free handouts to other nations paid for by our tax dollars?

Foreign aid to Israel is often a popular point of controversy when discussing our foreign policy. As is often the case, the media prefers shocking sound bites rather than critical analyses in order to shape our opinions on the topic. We are encouraged to believe in this two-dimensional world view that all Israelis love the idea of America financing their country.

I submit for your consideration that the Tea Party uprising and the Occupy Wall Street movements are one and the same. I'm sure there are many members of the Tea Party as well as Occupiers who would vehemently protest this idea. But I insist that, in order to truly take the bull by the horns, we must recognize the same underlying American Spring that manifests itself in these apparently distinct movements.

From the recent Quad-City Times commentary "Independents MIA in Iowa Q-C," there seems to be some confusion as to what SuperLiberty is. Started in December 2008 as a local, nonpartisan liberty alliance, we promote all groups who support liberty.

We favor no party over another. We are neither Republican nor Democrat, Right nor Left, Conservative nor Liberal. In fact the American two-party monopoly perpetuates a false issue-based division amongst the people and helps to prevent us from uniting under the common cause of personal liberty.

Last week, the Iowa Department of Revenue issued an Assessment Limitations Order, or "rollback," on property values in Iowa. The order adjusts the property values used by local governments to compute property taxes for agricultural, residential, commercial, and industrial property. The taxable value for residential property will be 50.7518 percent of the assessed value. This is an increase from the 2010 level of 48.5299 percent.

This will result in an increase to your residental property tax next September 1 if your assessment stays the same or increases if the levy rates for the various taxing authorities (city, county, schools, community college, etc.) are not lowered.

As with most movements that threaten the status quo, Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is being co-opted by that very status quo, under the guise of class warfare, in order to continue pitting Americans against each other.

This movement needs to focus on the big picture. The government facilitates the monopolies that corporations use to exercise their greed. And the Federal Reserve funds these elites' escapades - wars and welfare - with bailouts and inflationary money presses.

Protesters' anger should be directed at the Federal Reserve System, an unconstitutional banking cartel, and corporatism - the merging of big government and big business.

Ron Paul has pushed for an audit of the Fed. When America realizes the Fed creates the economic cycles that strip us of the hard-earned fruits of our labor and makes us poorer through the inflation tax, the Fed will be put out of business and we'll see the restoration of sound money.

OWS should take a look at OccupyTheFedNow.com to understand the real problem.

Mike Angelos
Davenport

I am mortified. I was recently ejected from two local Michele Bachmann public events.

Why? Because I passed out a flyer comparing her voting record to that of the only other member of Congress vying for the GOP presidential nomination, Congressman Ron Paul. It listed votes on economy and spending, privacy and constitutionally protected rights, health care, and military. And it asked: "Which candidate honors their oath of office and obeys the Constitution?"

Fight Bad Laws

On Tuesday, a Scott County deputy pulled up behind me as I stopped at a local restaurant. He gave me a written warning for not wearing my seatbelt after checking my license and proof of insurance.

After I signed the written warning, I asked the deputy if he thought this was a good law. His response: "Yes, because it saves lives."

I told him: "If we could put a cop in everyone's car, that would also save lives." Or, we could outlaw cars; that would save lives.

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