Page 2 Thursday January 31, 2008 www. dcadvocate.net Viewpoints & Opinions The Dixie County Advocate, 174 NE 351 Hwy. P.O. Box 5030* Cross City, FL 32628 Ph. 352-498-3312 Fax (352)498-0420 PRINTERS & PUBLISHERS Letters to the Editor, Ads Editortadcadvocate.net News News(.dcadvocate.net Classified Ads, and PSA's and legal Legals(@dcadvocate.net $24.99........................ In Dixie County $29.99................................ Elsewhere Includes Tax OFFICIAL ORGAN & ONLY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN DIXIE COUNTY Katherine McKinney...................... Editor Eli Loy..................... Production Manager Peni Dunn................... Receptionist/UPS Susan Lovelace....................... Ad Design David Ryman............Webmaster/Reporter Chuck ElIton........................ Photography John Kelley..................... Sports Reporter The Dixie County Advocate is owned by LSA Media, LLC. of Dixie County Deadline for news and announcements is 5:00 p.m. on Monday Deadline for advertising and classified ads is 12:00 Noon on Tuesday. Classified ads are $5.00 for 20 words or less; .10 cents additional word. Classified ads are payable in advance. Please mail ad with check to the above address. Reproduction by commercial interests or for resale or distribution, in whole or in part, is forbidden without the permission of the publisher. Let- ters to the Editor Policy: In order to provide.an open forum on issues and concerns to our readers, we publish (space permitting) every letter that we receive that is signed by the writer. Unsigned and anonymous letters that are inflammatory, slanderous, or libelous, and letters promoting a commercial enterprise are not published. The Advocate reserves the right to edit all submissions. Committed to Accuracy: Errors of Fact appearing in news columns will be corrected if the error substantially affects the information contained there- in. Call, email or write the Editor to report Errors of Fact. THE DIXIE COUNTY ADVOCATE (USPS 158-760) is published weekly Hang it up, George :. My liberal friends will no doubt be disappointed to learn that the George I am advising to "hang it up" is not Presi- dent George W. Bush. Term limits will require him to hang it up in eleven months anyway, so even if you don't like him, what. would belthe point atthislate;,date?. . 0 t) i 1!) i4 t I 9, -. GeorgeIo'Moo vapame(Atijme senator fromiSouthDako ta, ran for President in 1972, when he was conspicu6uslfy biried by Richard Nixon's landslide. Oh, the wailing and hand-wring- ing that emanated from the political left, but the McGovern/Shriver bumper strips began showing up again a couple of years later in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Nixon's resignation. It is this George that I am advising to "hang it up," though in fact I rather thought he'd done something of the sort after the '72 election. However he did remain in the Senate until thel980 election left him a victim of the "Reagan Revolution,". and it's apparent that he's not willing to "hang it up" just yet. On Saturday, January 12, the Gainesville Sun devoted a half page of its editorial section to a McGovern column enti- tled, "The case for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney." By the way, a lialf page in that section is a clear indication of a) a very slow news day, or b) a passionate level of support for the. writer and/or'his issue of choice, and how many slow news' days on the political front have we had any time recently? I don'tsuppose pressure from the Sun's parent compa- ny, that being the New York Times, could have had anything to do with that, do you? Oh, shame on me again! Well, what's the difference? The idea is that George Mc- Govern wants to impeach the president and vice-president ten months before they'll be out due to term limits. In fact, he's so desperate for something like that to happen that he tosses a sort of left-handed (no pun intended) compliment to the late Richard M. Nixon, the left's favorite whipping boy as long as he was alive. He said that "The nation would be much more secure and productive under a Nixon presidency than with Bush. Indeed, has any administration in our national history been so damag- ing as the Bush-Cheney era?" Well, maybe. How about Lyndon B. Johnson, architect of our failed policies in Vietnam? Or Jimmy Carter, who failed to muster an effect response to an act of war by Iran in 1979 and also gave away the Panama Canal? ' I suppose it would give George McGovern a measure of satisfaction if, in the twilight of his public life, he could scuttle a Republican president. After being scuttled by one as a presi- dential candidate in '72 and another as a Senator in '80, that would have to be mighty satisfyin' to the 85 year-old campaign- er. Only thing is, I look at George McGovern's passion for getting rid of Bush and Cheney at this late point in their ad- ministration as a way to make something happen that never has. As provided by the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, the Speaker of the House of Representatives would assume the presidency in the event both the President and the Vice-Presi- dent were unable to serve. Today, that would be Nancy Pelosi. It would appear that such would satisfy the most heart- felt longing of George McGovern, who certainly wasn't raising the issue 15 months ago, when Dennis Hastert was Speaker. Or Newt Gingrich before him. But as George himself admits, it probably ain't gonna happen, and no doubt that's just as well. miL I.jiV Uivir.EADOi.^jrNA.1i CONSERVATIVE OR COMMANDMENTAI We are visiting your County from Wisconsin. Out of all the travelling we have done, there hasn't been a more beautiful sight for us to see than Ten Commandments on your Court- house steps. This is what our country was founded on thank you for displaying them for everyone to see and be reminded on a daily basis. As we travel across the country we feel blessed and safe, knowing there are people who stand by the Lord's Command- ments. There are too many trying to destroy our country's be- liefs that have made our country great. We love and still be- lieve in the Lord. Doug & Rosemary Stevens Point, Wisconsin PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE FAILURES Whenever government involves itself in our free market sys- tem, disaster happens. Today, our public education system continues to require more of our tax money while producing declining academic results and increasing social problems. The government's only solution is to throw more of our tax money at the system. Our free market provided nearly all educational needs from. colonial days until well into the 19th century Home school- ing, one-room schools, and private schools flourished without the benefit of government subsidies or directives. The prod- ucts of this free-marlet apkptroach somehow managed to' transform a supposedly backward wilderness nation into the envy of the world. Today, many Americans mistakenly believe that the public school system is an integral part of our form of government. They cannot conceive of its elimination. What they fail to: recognize is that separation of school and state is not arevo- lutionary development in our history It is a welcome return to our philosophical and cultural roots. Go to www.the- newamerican.com ,for details. Search: schools. The only viable solution is to separate school and state and return to a tried and proven free market in education. Then we would have many school choices, pay no school taxes, and pay only for the education of our ow-A children. Charity would provide for the poor. Robert W.Van de Walle : 11660 Paso Robles Ave. Granada Hills, CA 91344 ANTsy. to sell those old items you have just lying around the house? Sell Them In The Classifieds 352.498-3312 .L'3kJT.l.J.n J. ,i A friend of mine recently asked me to review information supplied by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Com- munity Initiatives. After going over this material, I do not be- lieve this is anything in which a church commissioned to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ could participate. First, though President Bush has endeavored to streamline the process of acquisition of federal monies, the burden a faith-based group must carry appears to be anything but an easy yoke to bear. Second, by their own admission, policies that determine who should be allowed to receive such funds are inherently self-contradictory "With respect to religious hiring rights [of 'faith-based groups-that receive Federal funds], these laws are confusing, and in some cases, contradictory" The ad-infmni- tum explanation that receiving federal funds would in no way jeopardize an organization's hiring/firing rules leaves me- fearful. Third, regarding a faith-based organization's rights to gov- ern hiring rules the authors compared "the reaction of the World Wildlife Fund which has received more than $115 mil- lion in Federal support since 1996 if it were required to hire employees without regard to their position on environmental conservation. Or that of Planned Parenthood the recipient of millions of Federal dollars each year if it had to hire staff without considering views on abortion or birth control." This association led me to wonder, "Why is anyone outside of the biblically mandated responsibilities of human govern- ment receiving any federal money?" Where does President Bush (himself, a student of God's word) find biblical credence for his view, "Yet government 0 ;,can and should support social services provided by religious people."? .This notion sounds proper and pleasantly motivat- ed, but the New Testament grants no such role to govern- ment. According to both Paul and Peter, authorities exist to praise good behavior and punish evildoers; no other duty, for which taxes are levied, is incumbent upon government (Rom 13:3; 1 Peter 2:14). Also, where does the Scripture teach that the church exists "to increase the effectiveness of the Depart- ment [of Education's] programs."? As the primaries approach, let us challenge candidates to get the federal government out of the social welfare business by arming our selves with solid research at JBS. Org (search "Christian") If matters such as wildlife management, family planning, and education were turned over exclusively, to the private sector and faith-based groups our nation would have naturally preserved and protected wildlife, vibrant and grow- ing.families, soundly educated children, and a more responsi- ble citizenry. Michael E Chandler, Pastor Victor Valley Bible Church P.O. Box 1591 16439 Hughes Road Victorville, CA 92393 (760) 243-7690 Letters To The E dior INFORMATION COMPONENT 10 WRECKAGE