If anyone noticed the slowing economy in our country, you probably have noticed your money does not go as far.

The high price for gasoline, heating oil, insurance, electricity, food and on and on seems to drain all of us.

It does not matter if you consider yourself rich or poor or just getting by, we all have to pay more for everything we absolutely need to live. We are all locked into this economy. We just accept it because we live in America. We trust in our leaders - or do we?

When and if you watch the news or political adds and listen to how they describe each other, we just accept it and say when I was a kid they never showed disrespect to our elected officials. Maybe they did somewhat, but today it is way too much.

If there was, it was not so obvious. I feel that what the representatives are doing and saying in Washington is unpatriotic. We are all Americans, unpatriotic is not strong enough to describe how they are acting. Why are they still doing things that maybe need to be discussed. I wonder if they think they are like the wizard of Oz, behind a curtain shouting out their words.

Does anyone tell them? Why should we have to accept what they are doing? Seems to me a handful of humans make us out to be stupid. It is so obvious that they make money and maybe take lobbies money and are supposed to do what is right for us, yet they are not doing the patriotic American duties. It has never been more clear to me.

Taxation without representation is tyranny, they better start representing America.

America never went hungry so (they) don't want to support our farmers. When there is no one left to grow food in America then it will be way too late. I say subsidize the farmers. The farmers forgot more than some of our representatives know. Who the hell will feed you when your money runs out? Put the shoe on the other foot!

Sincerely

Peter A. Seman

Thompson, PA

Just how much can we take of Washington? Trillions in deficit spending. Unemployment hovering about 9 percent (less this month due to 315K throwing in the towel on getting a job). Department of (In)justice dancing around “Fast and Furious.” Philly poll intimidators walk. Lawmakers legally trading on insider info. No prosecution of sub-prime lenders. Class warfare. Conservatives shooting themselves in the foot (Cain). Sen. Tom Coburn. M.D., (R) OK (perhaps the senator most worthy of respect) declaring for the second time that he would not vote for Newt, having known him in Congress during the ‘90’s. Pelosi knows what Coburn knows. The president missing in action raising huge sums to sway the election of 2012. USA throws Israel under the bus while claiming great support. Waffling on Iran’s nuclear program. Major increase in poverty. Congress deadlocked on taxes and spending. DOD looking to get wacked with a budget axe. A state of the art UAV falls into Iranian hands (thermite not available?). Smears, disingenuous statements and outright lies from Congressmen/Senators. Non-existent foreign policy. Asinine Green programs (wind and ethanol). Freeze on Gulf drilling. Keystone XL pipeline shelved till 2013. Watch Canadian oil go East. Punt on Medicare and Medicaid overhaul. Punt on Social Security overhaul. Obamacare. Seemingly intelligent citizens who would vote for Obama.

I’ve got one big headache. I don’t know if our Republic can survive much more of this. My optimism meter is in the red. And there are still Americans who support Obama. You’re kidding, right?

Sincerely,

Joe McCann

Elk Lake, PA

Big Pharma's flu season swindle will peak this month. Drug stores, supermarkets, Walmarts, clinics, even workplaces, will be offering the traditional Christmas time flu jab. Why it's as routine as a yearly vehicle inspection - but it shouldn't be.

Before you allow Big Pharma to stick it to you, there's a few facts you should know: 1) vaccines - all vaccines - come with risks, 2) the efficacy of the flu vaccine is questionable, and 3) the flu shot may compromise the immune system, the very mechanism the body uses to ward off illness.

Vaccines contain a few risky extras, aluminum is one. The familiar metal is added as an adjuvant, i.e., something added to vaccines to provoke an immune response. But aluminum is a known neurotoxin associated with autism and Alzheimer’s disease.

Squualene is another adjuvant. It causes autoimmune reactions in animal studies.

Another ingredient is one of the most toxic substances known, mercury.

The are 12 micrograms of mercury in a flu shot. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the safe limit (if, indeed, there is one) is 0.1 microgram for every 2.2 pounds of body weight.

The average 50-year-old man weights 200 pounds. Based on the EPA's safety limit, a flu injection will put him 3 micrograms over the limit. (The average height and ideal body weight for a man is 5'10” and 150 pounds.)

For the average 50-year-old woman who weighs 164 pounds, a flu shot will put her 4.6 micrograms over the EPA's safe limit. (The average height and ideal body weight for a woman is 5'5” and 125 pounds.)

The vaccine also contains formaldehyde, gentamycine, glutaraldehde, and hydrolyzed gelatin, as preservatives, disinfectants, antibiotics, and stabilizers.

Since vaccines are injected they bypass the body's protective digestive system. That makes injections inherently dangerous (view youtube: Flu Shot Gone Wrong).

All right, so there are a few risks. But don't the benefits of a flu shot outweigh the risks?

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that a person will get just as sick with the flu if he gets the vaccine or if he doesn't. In other words, vaccination doesn’t appear to affect the severity of illness.

But does vaccination prevent the flu?

The Cochrane Collaboration is a network of 28,000 health professionals. Their assessment? A question mark. “We've known for years that we needed proof one way or the other and governments have not taken any notice of this. It's an extraordinary situation.”

But Big Pharma has “proof.” It has sponsored many studies. The rosy reports are sent to physicians, newspapers, and TV stations, and support flu vaccination. Presumably, the other investigations are filed. Tellingly, independent studies do not show these positive results or are inconclusive.

Why isn't it known if flu vaccines work?

The flu bug is like Morpheus, the Greek god of many guises. It comes in a never-ending variety of types, subtypes, and strains. A flu vaccine is a one-size-fits-all solution. If there's a perfect match of the vaccine and virus, it might work.

But that match-up requires the pharmaceutical companies to make the right guess as to which type will appear months ahead of the flu season. They guess wrong about 50 percent of the time. Regardless, you will still be advised to get the shot.

Paradoxically, there is evidence that vaccinations compromise the immune system, the very mechanism they intend to enhance. A flu shot might alter white blood cells, a vital part of the immune system. Additionally, the neurotoxins and adjuvants, as well as the virus in the vaccine, may also interfere with the body's ability to fight pathogens.

But we can protect ourselves by supporting our powerful and extremely effective immune system.

Step one: Stop eating out of boxes, cans, packages, and patronizing fast-food drive-ins. Instead, we should increase our consumption of fresh vegetables and wholesome foods.

Step two: Get sufficient sleep. If the alarm clock wakes us up, we're not getting it.

Step three: Many health professionals recommend taking vitamin D during the months of limited sunlight. They recommend 1,000 I.U. per 20 to 25 pounds of body weight (view youtube: The Amazing Health Benefits Of Vitamin D).

But for Big Pharma, there's no doubt that their heavily promoted flu vaccine works just fine. They pocket about $1.5 billion every year. But for the rest of us, there's a safer, effective, and cheaper alternative. It's one we should all consider.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA