Unfortunately, individuals such as me and the United States as a whole, are the targets of a global cultural war that is being waged against America. On July 4, evidence of this war will appear in the guise of a U.N. conference on global arms in New York City.
I respectfully demand that you take the proper stand, support America, and support the U.S. Bill of Rights by voicing your opposition and disgust to the U.N. attack on the Second Amendment. Support and uphold the constitution of the United States and the sovereignty of our country.
Please do not allow our government to sign an "agreement" with the U.N. on this matter and thus override full congressional debate.
If foreign governments can erase even one of our beloved rights, they will be erasing every veteran buried at Arlington National Cemetery who died for our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Do not allow the sacrifice of these fine veterans to be nullified. Do your duty as a protector of the U.S. Constitution and our Bill of Rights. Our country depends on you.
Jeffrey C. Baumgardner
Frederick, Md.
Medical increases are truly necessary
To the editor:
I would like to respond to a recent letter, published in your newspaper, that amounted to an uninformed attack on Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-6th.
The substance of the letter was that the congressman was cruel to poor people because he was somehow responsible for the yearly cost increases to retirees, for Medicare Part B and because he voted in favor of a provision in the Medicare Part D legislation that forbids the federal government from negotiating prices directly with drug companies.
Regarding the former charge, most knowledgeable people agree that both Medicare and Social Security are unsustainable in their current form. To keep pace with the increasing cost of medical care and the increasing number of retirees, in proportion to the number of workers, the cost to both retirees and workers must necessarily increase.
Finally, it should be understood that drug companies are not charities. They exist to make money for their shareholders, many of whom are individual retirees and pension funds. It takes an enormous capital investment, and sometimes decades of painstaking research, to bring a new drug to market.
During the past 40 years a cornucopia of new drugs has been developed in this country precisely because of the profit incentive that would be destroyed by federal price controls. If the policy suggested by the letter to which I refer were followed, the result would be fewer new, life-saving drugs for rich and poor alike.
James Hill
Martinsburg, W.Va.
Everyone's effort is appreciated
To the editor:
I would like an opportunity to respond to several comments in the "You Said It" section of The Herald- Mail in regard to the yard waste removal program in Smithsburg.
I appreciate the information about Dee Hockensmith and her efforts in getting residents of Smithsburg to sign a petition asking the council to reconsider its position on the yard waste removal.
I apologize for omitting her efforts in my previous letter. Dee's efforts and the efforts of everyone involved is greatly appreciated. I was merely giving credit to our elected officials in Smithsburg who had the courage to listen to the residents and change their votes.
Donnie Souders Jr.
Smithsburg
