My nephew Jack is in the Army in Iraq. He's been there a year, and his unit was scheduled to come back to the States two weeks ago. In fact, a few hundred made it back to Alaska, and a few hundred more to Kuwait, before they were told that their tour in Iraq had been extended four months, and they were going to Baghdad.
I was already volunteering to elect Democrats because I'm fed up with this Republican war. Now an occupation, the war is damaging our military and sucking up the resources we should be using to go after Al Qaeda. The administration is treating my nephew and his fellow soldiers like their toy soldiers, and I'm angry. Nussle hasn't even asked questions about this senseless war, and Whalen won't either. When I heard my nephew was getting sent back again, I doubled my volunteer time with my local Democratic field office to defeat the rubber-stamp Republicans. I'm doing this to support my nephew Jack and the rest of our troops.
Pat Sheller
Bettendorf
Congress Responsible for High Fuel Prices
Today, people are blaming the oil companies for high gas prices. Unfortunately, the people should be blaming the creator of this situation: the federal government.
In 1850, wood was our most commonly used fuel. Today, we still have plenty of wood because our free-market system replaced it with a better fuel: coal. And we still have an abundance of coal because oil has replaced it. Our marvelous free-market system was working very well without government interference.
Now oil would normally take a secondary role to nuclear energy in our fuel-cycle evolution. However, massive government interference in our free-market system has stifled production of nuclear energy and oil. Visit (http://www.thenewamerican.com/artman/publish/article_3970.shtml) for details of these government regulations.
We are awash in oil, but Congress refuses to allow drilling in the huge tracts offshore and in Alaska. We also need more oil refineries. None have been built in the last 35 years because of government regulations. New nuclear-power plants also have been stopped by regulations.
Congress is prohibited from regulating our energy sources by our Constitution. But, Congress does it anyway because our voters are not paying attention to the unconstitutional laws being passed. This is an election year, so Congress is more willing to listen if voters demand that these regulations be removed. Also, voters should know that if the oil industry gave up all profits, the price of gas would only drop about a dime per gallon.
Christopher H. Fogleman
Reseda, California
Showcase Admission Price "Outrageous"
The new price for admission at the Showcase Cinemas in Davenport is going to be $11 on the weekend.
That is outrageous and is even higher than Chicago movie theaters are.
It gives me a good reason to stay on the Illinois side of the river and go to the Great Escape in Moline, which only charges $9.
Michael McCarty
Rock Island
