To the editor:
What an "outrage."
We all witnessed this past week the very disgraceful decision by the nation's Supreme Court to lower the EXXON oil spill settlement to the ridiculous amount of $15,000 per person hurt by the oil spill that happened over 15 years ago. That oil spill took the livelihood and lives of many hundreds of hard-working Alaskans. As Don Shelby of WCCO Channel Four pointed out, the Supreme Court's ruling of $500 million amounts to only one week's profits for EXXON.
EXXON probably spent many times that amount fighting the case in court for over 15 years. The number one reason to support a Democrat for president this fall is to have a more friendly Supreme Court. By electing a more Democratic Congress and president we can achieve that.
Many ask why are we not getting things turned around in this country now when we have had a Democratic majority in Congress the past two years. The reason being is we still do not have a large enough majority to override the Bush veto pen or enough majority to stop the unrelenting Republican filibusters.
In the next eight years, there is a very real possibility there will be four Supreme Court vacancies, if "McSame" gets in, working people in this country will get hurt even more. This Supreme Court has become a pawn to big business.
We need a larger majority to make real changes possible. We also need to replace Bush's lap dog, Norm Coleman, right here in Minnesota. Coleman was hand picked by Cheney, Bush and Rove to run against Paul Wellstone. If Wellstone had not been killed right prior to the election six years ago, Coleman would never have been elected.
Coleman's claim to be a 90 percent improvement over Wellstone is an outrage. Coleman voted in lockstep with Bush over 90 percent of the time, yet claiming to be independent is a joke. Al Franken would make a great U.S. Senator for working people, for the retired people of Minnesota and for all Americans.
Vote Democratic this fall and change the direction of America for a much better America.
Charlie Rike
Pine City
Change!? Exactly what kind of change would electing Democrates this year bring? Higher taxes is the answer. Obama has the audicity to claim that he is the candidate of "change". He's for "windfall" profit taxes, conservation, big government and high taxes...how is that change for any other liberal? It's not.
It soulds exactly like Jimmy Carter part two...do we want to relive that? Maybe we do, it did result in a true conservative in Ronald Reagan getting elected, which is exactly what we need. A true conservative, which McCain is not, which Coleman, an ex democrate, is not, which Gov. Pawlenty is not.
Obama, in his short time as a US Senator, has taken over the ranking for the most liberal member of congress. What that simply means is that he is the least likely member of congress to vote yes on a Republican back billed...the chances of him "crossing the aisle" are slim to none. Thats change?
The Supreme Courts decision to reduce EXXON's settlement amount is right on. The hard-working Alaskans were not the ones that are going to see the majority of that money anyways, the lawyers are. Tort reform is badly needed, we need to end these ridiculous lawsuits. EXXON has already spent more than two billion dollars in clean up costs. Don Shelby is hardly an un-biased journalist, it amazes me how so called "journalist" like Shelby are continuely allowed to spew their biased, one-sided opinions.
The supreme court also got it right by overturning Washington D.C.'s unconstitutional gun ban. The only shame is that the supreme court also ruled that criminals convicted multiple times of raping a child can not get the death penalty. The last thing America needs now is more liberal justices.
While I'm not a fan of Coleman by any means, the thought that Al Fraken as a US Senator scares me. I hardly think that being a writer for SNL and writing articles for Playboy qualifies someone to be a Senator.
It simply comes down to this, if you want to keep the freedoms we have, and keep more of your hard earned money in your pockets vote Republican. After all is said and done, that is really what it boils down to...democrates want to control our lives as much has possible, while Republicans are for freedom.
"Whatever the problem is, the answer isn't more Democrats." - Hugh Hewitt