Rogue: a scoundrel. one who is a bit on the wicked side.

The government enjoyed a 16 day “shut down”. Being the criminals are elected ones, it is hard to get them out. Unless we vote to remove their sorry, ineffective selves.

One thing about the shut down that was cool, was that the American Veterans would not stand down to the new commander, and went to see the war monuments, despite being told that the National Park was closed. Imagine telling an older, highly decorated veteran: sorry sir, you cannot tour this site.

Needless to say, they toured the monuments. Maybe someone should tell the commander he has to vacate the white house, a national monument, until this mess was absolved.

I am neutral on who to “blame”. I hear it was a newly elected member of the tea-party who opened up just how bad it is in Washington, DC.

Maybe we need more of the tea party to let us working folks know just how disenfranchised from the people the career politician is. I believe it’s because the elected are attorneys.

I’m sure I will catch some flack about my opinion on attorneys. I have the unfortunate position of having to deal with several of those fine specimens of rogue type characters, and can testify that the laws are created to protect the attorney from the client. And yes, it is all about the money.

In Washington, they have decided to just print more of it. In my humble opinion, just printing money with no value to it, sets a dangerous precedent.

One thing that becomes clearer, this old way of two party politicians is coming to a close. Mercifully so for those of us who can only vote for who seems the less roguish.

I am glad that, finally this stand still is over. I was beginning to really understand why people in other countries think we Americans are fools and arrogant.

We elected them. And, we are led (by the nose) by those who have deep pockets and hardly any brain matter, or common sense.

If we thought we were over saturated with elections and the war campaigns, I can hardly wait to see who the rogues back for the party faithful in these next elections.

I just want someone who can read, write, and has at least one ounce of integrity. Surely an attorney can find one such person. Of course, that person is not to be found in this current climate of electoral. Maybe it is time we elect a business man and not an attorney.

To me that makes total sense. If we believe that government isn’t BIG business, than we might consider, just what was closed? The business of government was closed. Folks laughed at me when I voted for Ross Perot. He was against the NAFTA trade agreement which has seen our jobs be out sourced. By law. Remember his saying: can you hear the sucking sounds of jobs going to Mexico. He was slightly wrong on that, it’s more India and southeast Asian that the jobs are going.

The one hope for us is the Marcellus shale. It is being recognized that using off shore products jeopardizes the integrity of the gas lines, so we are back to producing our own steel and cement.

Imagine that, we have a commander who won’t consider an advantage to an American way of life and work, because he is friends with Yoko.

Ah well, hope it’s not back to business as usual. We could really use a strong leader in these times. Just to clean up our image with Putin and the rest of the world leaders who wonder just what is the matter with the Americans. Maybe it’s because we love our leaders a little on the rogue side.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Allen

Summersville, PA

October 21 through October 25 is National School Bus Safety Week. Most people do not realize that school bus transportation continues to be one of the safest forms of ground transportation. In fact, a school bus is thirteen times safer than other non-commercial vehicles. This is no accident. It is through the efforts of hard working and dedicated professionals, particularly the drivers, that makes this so.

Our tremendous safety record is due to tough federal and state regulations, extensive school bus driver training and review and our commitment to safety. School busing is a much more complex and demanding job than most people realize or appreciate. It is supported by an extensive network of personnel, including mechanics, dispatchers and driver safety trainers. The vehicles are designed, built and equipped for the safety of the children they are used to transport. They are operated during the busiest travel periods of the day and in all types of road and weather conditions.

School bus drivers are justifiably held to a higher standard as professional operators. We feel we attain that goal with superior driving habits and skills. The problem is that our best efforts can only deliver a part of the results. An awareness of the law and behavior of the driving public remains a critical element in the safety of the children we transport to and from school. When a motorist feels they can’t remain behind a school bus and will go through stop signs, make u-turns in the middle of the road or pull directly out in front of the bus because they are in a hurry, are not doing this just to the bus driver, they are doing this to all the children riding on the bus. These types of actions put the children in unnecessary danger.

Too many times school bus drivers report motorists passing stopped school buses when they are picking up or discharging students. School buses are equipped with an 8-way lighting system. The amber (yellow) lights will begin flashing between 300 and 150 feet before the school bus stops. During this time, the motorist must prepare to stop. When the school bus stops, the red lights will begin flashing and the side-stop arm will be extended. All motorists meeting or following the bus must be stopped at least ten (10) feet from the bus and are not to proceed until the red lights are no longer activated and the students have reached a place of safety. Pennsylvania law is quite simple to remember…a motorist must always stop for a school bus when the red lights are flashing. There are no exceptions. This includes fire engines, ambulances, police cars and funeral processions. If a motorist fails to stop for a school bus, it is an automatic 60 day suspension of their driver’s license, 5 points on their driving record and a $250 fine.

School bus safety is also influenced by activity on the bus. The driver has to contend with weather and road conditions and maintain an awareness of all activity around the bus, driveways, intersections, people, pets and wildlife. While a driver has all this to consider outside the bus, he need not be distracted by misbehavior inside the bus. Rules are provided for students to follow while riding the bus and are there to maintain a safe and orderly environment. Parents/guardians should serve as role models and instruct their children in appropriate and socially acceptable behavior on a school bus as well as everywhere else. The driver should be accorded the respect he has earned and deserves.

Observe School Bus Safety Week…every week…it could save a life.

Sincerely,

James M. Ainey

Montrose, PA

Polls are interesting things. I was puzzled by the poll which alleged that 60% of Americans would like to throw out all members of Congress and start over again. That would be pretty senseless in my view. Another poll shows that Congressional approval is in the low teens. These numbers raise the question: Do Americans really understand what is going on? Are they not ascertaining the motives of the politicians correctly? I think not.

With respect to the overall political situation in America, there are two camps. Conservative (vilified as Tea Party radicals) who believe that America would be better served by adhering to the intentions of our Founding Fathers. If you don’t know what those men intended, read the Federalist Papers. Failure to do so leaves you completely at the mercy of men like Senator Reid of Nevada (who happens to be Senate majority leader) and, of course, the President.

The other camp is Liberal, whose followers believe that Government is more qualified to run our life than we are. If you don’t know what those men intended, read “Rules For Radicals” by Saul Alinsky. They believe that the bigger the bureaucracy, the fairer and more just the country will be. Among other things, they fail to tell you how much they intend to run your life with their laws (Obamacare) which they conveniently exempt themselves of. This, of course, creates a ruling class. They, of course, proclaim that you can trust them (see: IRS targeting Conservative groups, for example and the NSA).

A Plain and simple fact is this country is at war. It is every bit as significant as our Civil War. If you remain ignorant, you will be enslaved. If you refuse to be ignorant, you will be free. Bottom line, it is up to you.

Sincerely,

Joe McCann,

Elk Lake, PA

Republicans have been very busy the last couple years. Many of them have fought to pass Voter ID Laws in their own states, although they have yet to prove there is a problem with voter fraud. Some have begun drug testing welfare recipients in an attempt to appease the outcry from the public, which they themselves caused. Unfortunately, in most cases drug testing is costing the state more than they will ever save by removing anyone who tests positive from the welfare system. 

On the other hand the health care crisis has been a genuine issue for many years and our President is brave enough to try and tackle it. It is as simple as this. There are too many Americans without health insurance. They get sick. They go to the doctors hopefully before the get so sick they end up in the emergency room. Many of them don’t pay their hospital bills because they cannot; they are too rich for medical assistance too poor to buy insurance. When they don’t pay, the hospital passes off the loss to the insurance companies, which in turn raise rates to cover their loss. Which means more people cannot afford health insurance.

So if Republicans don’t like the Affordable Care Act, instead of spending millions of dollars and wasting so much time trying to repeal it why are they not working with Democrats to improve it? Repealing it does not make the original problem go away. The fact that so many people tried to sign up the first week that they overwhelmed the system is proof that the American people do want affordable health care. 

It is time the Republicans and Democrats started working together to improve the country and not just their own lives. Government should not be shaped around who is running in the next election, but what is best for the people. So unless the Republicans have more pressing issues like trolls under the bridge, it is time they rolled up their sleeves, put aside their egos and got to work on real issues.

Sincerely,

Laurie Thorn

Harford, PA

It’s October. Leaves turn to autumn’s muted colors ‘till a gust of chill wind sets them adrift. Pumpkins are fully ripened and jack-o’-lanterns herald Halloween. And best of all for the drug cartel, it’s the beginning of the flu season.

It’s time for Big Pharma’s yearly trick or treat flu vaccine. But the treat is for Big Pharma’s yearly harvest of billions of dollars and the trick is for those who are duped into believing their scary story about the flu hobgoblin.

And it’s not only Big Pharma that advocates an annual flu injection but also the Centers for Disease Control, ads on TV and in the print media, and probably your physician as well. After all, they claim that the flu vaccine is 56 percent effective. Meaning that 56 out of every 100 vaccinated adults are protected against the flu. Pretty impressive.

But opponents say stuff and nonsense, it’s only 1.5 percent effective, if that. Not very impressive. So who’s right?

Surprise, both are correct. It’s all in how numbers are manipulated.

There are hundreds of viruses with flu-like symptoms. But the flu is caused by only two viruses, type A and type B. Unless a person is laboratory tested, doctors cannot distinguish between the flu-like viruses and the real virus.

It is estimated that only 2.7 percent of lab test adults actually had the flu. Taking another look at that same stat: 97.3 percent of those who thought they had the flu did not. In reality, the flu is a relatively uncommon, but a highly-hyped, illness.

A recent study in the Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, states that of those adults who had a lab confirmed flu virus only 1.5 percent were apparently protected against the flu by vaccination.

Here’s where Big Pharma’s All Hallows Eve trickery comes in to play. If the 2.7 percent flu rate is compared with the 1.5 percent of vaccine effectiveness, that indeed represents a reduction of 56 percent. That’s the stat that Big Pharma touts.

But the actual percentage of protection is a meager 1.5 percent. That’s the stat you won’t hear much about.

But even that 1.5 percent benefit is suspect.

Dr. Lisa Jackson found that healthy people tend to choose flu vaccination. Her research suggests that the “healthy user” effect accounts for the flu vaccine’s apparently positive effect.

But take heed. The flu vaccine comes with a few extras in its holiday basket that make it of doubtful value.

There’s thimerosal, a mercury based disinfectant and preservative; phenol, used as a disinfectant and a known carcinogen; neomycin and streptomycin, antibiotics that can cause allergic reactions; aluminum, another preservative, this one associated with Alzheimer’s disease; and formaldehyde, still another preservative and also a carcinogen.

There is an additional concern. Some research suggests that if you have received the vaccine for three to five consecutive years, your risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases by ten fold.

As if that is not enough, there are severe side effects. These include febrile seizure, narcolepsy, asthma, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Though the odds of developing a serious reaction are statistically slight, Big Pharma foresaw a financial pitfall.

While the public wanted immunity from the flu, Big Pharma wanted immunity from prosecution. It threatened to withdraw its injectable nostrums from the market unless the government agreed to assume financial responsibility for injuries incurred by vaccines. The government caved. Now the taxpayer shoulders Big Pharma’s legal responsibility and its $22 billion vaccine business is immune from lawsuits.

However, there is a way to protect yourself against the flu and it has nothing to do with letting Big Pharma stick it to you. Your own immune system is more than able to fend off the flu virus and any of its hundreds of pretenders.

Here are a few ways to strengthened that system: (1) Avoid sugary drinks and foods. Try drinking raw goat’s milk or cow’s milk. (2) Increase your consumption of vegetables. (3) Eat healthy fats like butter, olive oil, and coconut oil. Avocados are an excellent source of essential fats. By the way, fats don’t make you fat any more than sugar makes you sweet. (4) Get sufficient sleep. If you’re wakened by an alarm clock, you’re not getting enough rest. Lastly, (5) Increase your vitamin D3. Many health professionals recommend a daily supplement of between 5,000 i.u. to 8,000 i.u. daily.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA