Letters
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
This statement was made by Founding Father John Adams as “Argument in Defense of the Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials” in December 1770. Whatever we may think or what passions we may hold about John Adams defense of British Soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre, this statement instructs us even to this day.
Many times newspaper opinion pages are filled with letters to the editor or opinion pieces claiming certain “facts” or “things easily confirmed to be true” when they are nothing more than one person's spin on current events and history or outright misrepresentations of the facts. You need not accept anything that I or anyone else may present as facts at face value. Organizations like FactCheck.org can be used to sort through the constant drum beat of babel chucked up by biased media, political advertisements, opinion-based blogs and the opinion pages of newspapers.
For example, a recent letter to the Record-Bee stated, among other things, that “This year, for the first time in history, seniors got no COLA increase in Social Security although their health care tax increased. Meanwhile Thompson got himself $3,000 more COLA per month.”
A little research at FactCheck.org can be used to analyze of this combination of fact, misrepresentation and lie.
FactCheck.org: “Since 1975, Social Security's general benefit increases have been based on increases in the cost of living, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. We call such increases Cost-Of-Living Adjustments, or COLAs. Because there has been a decline in the Consumer Price Index, there will be no COLA payable in 2010.”
So based on a three-decades-old law there will be no Social Security benefit increase this year.
FactCheck.org: “Most Medicare premiums haven’t gone up this year at all. For 73 percent of seniors, the basic Medicare Part B premium remains at $96.40 per month. And for all but a few of the rest, the increase will be $14.10 per month.”
The reason some Part B premiums went up has to do with the complicated formulations of law which can be further researched at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Web site.
FactCheck.org: “The fact is that Congress voted in March to give itself a zero pay raise in 2010. The language is in Public Law 111-8, the Omnibus Appropriation Act for the current fiscal year, which was signed March 11, 2010.”
So it’s just a plain lie to say that Congressman Mike Thompson got himself $3,000 more COLA per month.
Left, right and center, we all have opinions. Expressing those opinions is the cherished right of all Americans. Disrespecting your audience with falsehoods is a choice.
Evan Willig lives in Cobb.
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- Written by: Evan Willig
I had an hour to kill in Kelseyville last Sunday morning and decided to run a few errands I’d been putting off, as I don’t make it to Kelseyville very often (which is actually kind of pitiful on my part as we live in Lakeport!).
There’s been so much negative publicity about Lake County lately, generated by those outside of the county and some within, that I wanted to share some positive thoughts about our community instead.
With this free hour I … saw lots of people enjoying coffee and pastries served outside at Grace Evangelical Free Church before the service … filled up my car at Two Jacks Gas station and was impressed by the courtesy of the employee … had an awesome latte at Studebakers, which was the perfect temperature and as good as any coffee anywhere … stopped in at Perlz and found some cool stuff to repair some jewelry with and was impressed by the breadth of classes they offer and the talent of local artisans … washed my car for only $2.50 and was offered help by the owner who had observed me trying to get my wrinkled dollars to go into the change machine … went to Kelseyville Lumber to buy some plants and was amazed at all the people enjoying themselves in Woody’s Café inside … watched a group of people walk leisurely down Main Street and stop to watch the creek go by under the bridge … all this action and vitality within an one hour’s time and the distance of less than a mile.
Why share this? I will readily admit that I moved to Lake County grudgingly. I will also be the first to say that I have always been impressed by the people here; their commitment to this community, their connectedness to their community, their willingness to put effort into their community, whether fifth-generation pioneer family or newcomer. Perhaps it was that unexpected hour that helped me see anew some of the wonderful things about Kelseyville and Lake County in general.
It’s easy to get caught up in the comings and goings of our lives and sometimes our appreciation is dimmed in the process because of the “busyness” of our lives. It also seems to have become the norm in our society to express the bad things we think about each other while keeping silent on the good. It’s become easier to make anonymous comments on a keyboard than it is to take time to get outside of our houses and participate in life – real life with each other.
Yes, we do struggle with our economic viability, as does most of our country unfortunately. We do live in a rural area but that does not equate to us being relegated to a stereotype. There are so many things to appreciate about our beautiful rural county and the people who inhabit it with commitment to it and kindness towards each other. I wanted to give well-deserved credit where credit was due.
Kelseyville – thanks for the wonderful hour!
Michelle Scully lives in Lakeport.
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- Written by: Michelle Scully
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