America’s moral compass not broken
Dear Editor,
The column “Keep it to yourself!” (Dec. 4) by Lou Tiscione opines that the moral compass of our government has been removed in the past four or five decades because of separation of church and state forced by the man-centered world view of secular humanists.
In Mr. Tiscione’s view “… the founders envisioned a triangular system … [of] government, capitalism, and faith … it has only been in the last four or five decades that faith has been removed [from] the triangle.”
Thus, faith was present when our government’s founders produced a country where white men were allowed to own black people, where black people were kept in slavery with beatings and threats of death and where some white people legally subjected black people to abuse beyond human comprehension.
During our early history, founders such as Thomas Jefferson owned sex slaves who acted as their own slave breeders. Slave owners, including Jefferson, kept their own half-black or quarter-black children as slaves. If faith was present, as Mr. Tiscione contends, then it was a miserable failure at producing ethical and moral human behavior.
America was founded by imperfect men with an extraordinary vision for the future. That vision has been realized to a significant extent by laws that provide human rights, civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, etc. to our citizens. What we as a people have in common is a belief in our founding vision, i.e., our moral compass. America has not gone from good to bad but rather just the opposite. Our national moral compass has never been stronger. Our government protects the rights of each individual American more now than at any other time in our history.
No one group, not secular humanists nor Christians, deserves all the credit for our progress.
Americans of all faiths, and some of no faith, did it together and we have a right to be proud of what we have accomplished. Those who think otherwise should drop us a note occasionally with a photo of their new homeland.
Larry Mason, Azle
Celebrate responsibly
Dear Editor,
As we enjoy this season’s holiday festivities, on behalf of the Texas Hospitality Association I want to remind everyone of the importance of doing so responsibly. The Texas Hospitality Association is proud to have joined the Texas Department of Transportation on the statewide Holiday P.A.S.S. (Person Appointed to Stay Sober) campaign to prevent drunk driving.
The campaign encourages Texans to give the gift of a sober ride home and to make it easier for sober drivers to enjoy the festivities. If you know you will be consuming alcohol, designate a sober driver before you start drinking. Sober drivers also make great gifts, so consider volunteering to be a sober driver for your friends and family. The Holiday P.A.S.S. campaign offers customizable sober driver “gift certificates” at www.TexasHospitalityAssociation.com.
Remember: a sober driver is someone who has had nothing to drink, not just the least amount. Even a small amount of alcohol can impair one’s driving ability. If you are hosting a holiday event, please offer non-alcoholic beverages for sober drivers. For great non-alcoholic holiday recipes, visit www.pinterest.com/holidaypass.
Holiday drinking and driving is a serious threat for all holiday travelers. Last holiday season there were over 2,400 alcohol-related traffic crashes in Texas, resulting in 842 serious injuries and 78 fatalities. This year, help keep the holidays merry for all Texans by joining the Texas Hospitality Association and the Holiday P.A.S.S. (Person Appointed to Stay Sober) campaign to keep our roads safe.
Sincerely,
Rick Knox, president, Texas Hospitality Association
Grassroots effort needed for Fair Tax
Dear Editor,
Politicians seek the wrong solutions to our economic woes. The income tax has failed. It has driven business away from the U.S. The only proposal before Congress that will fix our economy is the Fair Tax (HR25), not to be confused with the Flat Tax.
The first year of enactment will produce a 10.5 percent increase in the economy along with a 36 percent increase in exports. Workers will keep their full paycheck with no deductions for Uncle Sam. Businesses will no longer have to keep mounds of records and report them to the IRS. That alone will save more than $500 billion annually, which can be used to create new jobs. Every dime paid to Uncle Sam in income taxes can be used to create new business.
Congress has refused to act. Grassroots effort is necessary to pass The Fair Tax. See fairtax.org.
Roy T. Newsom, Granbury
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