16
Aug
2005
I was proud to be a Republican. My family had confidence that a government with a Republican majority would be safer, better fed, taxed less, and left to lead good lives.
I'm totally dissatisfied with a Republican majority government that allows Mexican illegals to saturate and ruin American citizenship and the economy for the majority of Middle Americans.
I'm concerned that American security has been lost to a Chinese communist government that will eventually break us economically, then militarily. The communist Chinese speak for over 400 billion American dollars, not the capitalists.
I know that we do not have resources to mount a strong response to an attack like Pearl Harbor, nor the industrial capacity to generate weaponry that could fight another large war against a hostile China. You should know that, too.
I feel betrayed by a Republican majority philosophy that "money makes anything right," even seizure of personal property for the benefit of a larger tax base from another privately owned corporation.
The first party that initiates an effort to close the borders, find and remove illegal citizens from our states, and make decisions based on a protected, sovereign America for American citizens will get my vote.
The first party that initiates real taxes on U.S. corporations that have moved off-shore to compensate for a lost taxable manufacturing base will get my vote.
If national security (internal and external), closing borders to illegal immigrants, and U.S. manufacturing capacity are not the centerpiece of your next campaign and philosophy, you will not be in office in 2008.
P.S. The general public is aware that the excessive news coverage of political correctness, abortion, gay rights, and universal health care that replaces real news like the war and terrorism are all purely distractions that truly belong on the last page of yesterday's newspaper.
Larry McFarland
East Moline
Ragtime Deserved More Coverage
I am the 20-year-old who recently brought Ragtime the musical to Quad Cities audiences. Thankfully, we got some really good coverage on the show from the Rock Island Argus and Dispatch and the Quad-City Times - both were kind enough to run numerous feature stories and a review on the show. But I was a little disappointed with the Reader's coverage on the project. I have always been an avid reader of the Reader. While three hours away at school (at Millikin University in Decatur) I always manage to look at the Reader online for political views, good theatre reviews, and other articles not found in the other QC papers. The Reader, to me, has always been my sourse of "not the norm" news.
Well, Ragtime is a "not the norm" show. It was independently produced relying on money from corporate sponsors, grants, and private donations. The show featured a cast of well over 60 performers (the cream of the crop of local talent) and a nice-sized orchestra. I guess the problem with the show was it was only presented one weekend, but that should be no excuse for why we received no coverage.
All in all, we presented a very good show to around 1,200 audience members in three days, raising more than $10,000 for the Children's Therapy Center of the QC. On future projects, I and my cast and crew would certainly like more support and coverage.
Derek Bertelsen
Aledo, Illinois
I'm concerned that American security has been lost to a Chinese communist government that will eventually break us economically, then militarily. The communist Chinese speak for over 400 billion American dollars, not the capitalists.
I know that we do not have resources to mount a strong response to an attack like Pearl Harbor, nor the industrial capacity to generate weaponry that could fight another large war against a hostile China. You should know that, too.
I feel betrayed by a Republican majority philosophy that "money makes anything right," even seizure of personal property for the benefit of a larger tax base from another privately owned corporation.
The first party that initiates an effort to close the borders, find and remove illegal citizens from our states, and make decisions based on a protected, sovereign America for American citizens will get my vote.
The first party that initiates real taxes on U.S. corporations that have moved off-shore to compensate for a lost taxable manufacturing base will get my vote.
If national security (internal and external), closing borders to illegal immigrants, and U.S. manufacturing capacity are not the centerpiece of your next campaign and philosophy, you will not be in office in 2008.
P.S. The general public is aware that the excessive news coverage of political correctness, abortion, gay rights, and universal health care that replaces real news like the war and terrorism are all purely distractions that truly belong on the last page of yesterday's newspaper.
Larry McFarland
East Moline
Ragtime Deserved More Coverage
I am the 20-year-old who recently brought Ragtime the musical to Quad Cities audiences. Thankfully, we got some really good coverage on the show from the Rock Island Argus and Dispatch and the Quad-City Times - both were kind enough to run numerous feature stories and a review on the show. But I was a little disappointed with the Reader's coverage on the project. I have always been an avid reader of the Reader. While three hours away at school (at Millikin University in Decatur) I always manage to look at the Reader online for political views, good theatre reviews, and other articles not found in the other QC papers. The Reader, to me, has always been my sourse of "not the norm" news.
Well, Ragtime is a "not the norm" show. It was independently produced relying on money from corporate sponsors, grants, and private donations. The show featured a cast of well over 60 performers (the cream of the crop of local talent) and a nice-sized orchestra. I guess the problem with the show was it was only presented one weekend, but that should be no excuse for why we received no coverage.
All in all, we presented a very good show to around 1,200 audience members in three days, raising more than $10,000 for the Children's Therapy Center of the QC. On future projects, I and my cast and crew would certainly like more support and coverage.
Derek Bertelsen
Aledo, Illinois
