Left can't stand Bush's success

By Tony Moschetti

I'm having a difficult time understanding the left's mindless obsession that the Iraq conflict is over oil. Therefore, to try to better understand these folks, I've decided to have half my brain removed.

Greg Meyerson, who calls Sharon a war criminal but thinks Arafat is a mainstream leader, is the latest to push the oil lunacy. This crowd said the same thing about the 1991 conflict with Iraq. We were in Kuwait, and Iraq. We had little opposition. Why did we not appropriate the oil fields then if oil is our motive? We have been in Saudi Arabia for decades. Why have we not taken those oil fields?

If our goal is take over the Middle East oil, why do we continue to let ourselves be held hostage by these folks as they manipulate the cost of oil by manipulating production? Why haven't we simply taken the oil fields? Why do we sit by as our economy suffers whenever the Middle East cartel decides to put the squeeze on us? Why don't we just take the oil fields? This is not a trick question. Send your answers to the News & Record.

Meyerson should have sent his letter to Le Monde. It is the French who are profiting from Iraqi oil. They have made billions thus far, and hoped to make even more in the future. If you follow the news, you know that is why the French tried so hard to stop this action. They also know that we will, as we said, make certain it is the people of Iraq who benefit from their oil. Their claims that we will profit are laughable.

They have been wrong about everything beginning with the 1991 conflict. There was the "quagmire" in Afghanistan, the house to house fighting in Baghdad costing thousands of American casualties, the poorly thought out war plan, etc.
They cannot deal with the success of the Bush administration. They are livid at his poll numbers, and the trust he engenders with 70 to 80 percent of Americans.

I'm still waiting for a member of the "no blood for oil" or "it's all about oil" crowd to tell us they have decided to permanently boycott all oil products.
No SUV, no plastic, no polyester slacks, no oil heat, etc.

The left and hypocrisy is a marriage made in heaven.

The writer lives in High Point.

News & Record
April 30, 2003

There's never been a real racism debate

You state in a recent editorial that Trent Lott's demise reopens the debate on racism. There never has been a "debate" on racism, only a one-sided monologue by white liberals, and most minorities. Webster defines racism as believing that some races are inherently superior to others, and as discrimination based on race. I believe that few believe that any race is superior, or inferior, to any other.

Discrimination based on race is widespread in our society and must be eradicated. I refer to affirmative action. Most white liberals and minorities support this race-based discrimination, making them the racists in our society.

Yet, these folks insist on labeling those of us opposed to this abhorrent form of racism, as the racists.

Where, except in the liberal mind, can one decry discrimination against one race, then demand discrimination against other races?

So, please, let's debate racism.

Tony Moschetti
High Point

News & Record
January 27, 2003

Why the violence?

The obvious reason for the increase in violence in the public schools is that we don't spend enough money on education. We also put too much stress on the children by expecting them to be tested regularly to determine whether they are actually learning anything.

How can we expect there not be violence in public schools?

Tony Moschetti
High Point

News & Record
November 13, 2002

Pacifists supporting Arafat's terrorists

I have oft contended that liberalism is derived from a combination of brain damage and having Satan somewhere in your family tree. Some think that I'm joking. Wrong! Why otherwise would anyone align themselves with Yasser Arafat, a barbaric, murdering terrorist? I recently saw a television report that 32 pacifists have joined Arafat in his headquarters and have vowed to stay until the standoff is resolved. This says more about the pacifist movement than anything I could say. Their concern is for the life of one of the world's most notorious terrorists. They apparently condone the wanton murder of innocent people who threaten no one. They apparently condone the teaching of young children that being a suicide bomber is a heroic rather than an evil action.
Pacifists apparently believe that murdering innocents is a form of conflict resolution. Where else but in the liberal mind would such lunacy be concocted?

The Israelis do not have a policy of destruction of the Arabs. The Israelis do not send children into Palestinian areas with bombs attached to their bodies.

They have the right and the duty to defend themselves by taking whatever action is required. This is such a fundamentally simple concept that to deny it one is either brain damaged or evil. Ergo, a liberal!

Tony Moschetti
High Point

News & Record
April 18, 2002

Misfit protesters, take your cause to Pakistan

I find it ironic that one day after your chilling editorial concerning the brutal murder of Daniel Pearl by the Muslim/Arab barbarians in Pakistan, we hear from that small group of misfits whose only contribution to America is hanging out on street corners and telling us that we are the problem.

These folks are totally detached from reality. If the Pearl murder does not convince these fools that the Arab/Muslim terrorists are pure evil then nothing ever will. They have lived so long with their heads in the sand that I'm surprised they haven't suffocated.

Fortunately, these misfits are but a small segment of our great society. They are the price we pay for freedom. Those of us who do understand that there is evil in the world, and have been willing to fight to defend our freedoms, find it sad that these types reap the benefits of others sacrifices.

I suggest that this group, instead of protesting in Greensboro, take their contingent to the streets of Pakistan. I'm certain they would receive a warm welcome, as they always side with the terrorists.

Perhaps they can meet with Pearl's killers and try to determine what it was Pearl did to so anger them. They can wear peace symbols. They can bring flowers.

I'm sure their Arab/Muslim terrorist friends over there would be more than willing to negotiate with them.

I'm willing to chip in for the airfare.

Tony Moschetti
High Point

News & Record
March 6, 2002

Guilford's 'leftists' see only one side

The "enlightened" inmates at the left-wing indoctrination camp, known as Guilford College, recently attempted to simulate conditions under which the peace-loving Palestinians are forced to confront each day of their lives.

And since only one side of any issue is permitted at these indoctrination camps, there was no "simulation" as to why these conditions exist.

Was there a "simulation" of the Yom Kippur war? The one where Israel was attacked by its peace-loving Arab neighbors on the eve of its holiest holiday of the year?

Among the results of the attack was a humiliating defeat for the Arab states, and the loss of most of the land now "occupied" by Israel.

Was there a "simulation" of Palestinian terrorists strapping bombs to themselves and blowing up buses, malls, etc., murdering countless innocent people?

Israel then "continues the cycle of violence" by reacting to the killings. It responds by attempting to seek out those responsible. Israelis do not train their children to become suicide bombers.

They do not celebrate in the streets at the slaughter of thousands of innocent victims in the name of God, as did the Palestinians after the World Trade Center bombing.

Israel has checkpoints for the same reason we have security checkpoints at our airports: safety. Mr. Arafat was offered almost everything he claimed he wanted.

His reply: More terrorism.

And Palestinians wonder why so few Americans support them.

Tony Moschetti
High Point

News & Record
December 31, 2001

Airport bomb scare highlights problem

So, the leftist News & Record editorial staff cheers the federalization of airport security. The leftists think that big government is the answer to all our problems, when in fact, government is the source of most of our problems. If recent events in the name of increased security are examples of what we can expect in the future, I cringe.

Consider the Air Tran bomb threat at Piedmont Triad International Airport. I am not a federal employee, but if someone suggested a bomb on the plane my immediate reaction would be to get the plane emptied as quickly as possible. But that's me. Apparently the government agencies involved thought it best to let the passengers sit on the plane with the potential bomb for 30 minutes. When questioned, all agencies insisted that they had acted properly. Sadly, they actually believe that they did.

A passenger makes the mistake of having to go to the lavatory at the wrong time. Before the federal government got involved, a flight attendant would merely have asked the person to return to his seat. I've seen it dozens of times.

Now, with the federales involved, the person gets a gun pulled on him and gets put on the floor. The other passengers are told to put their hands behind their heads as if they were federal prisoners rather than paying customers, and the plane is diverted to another airport.

Boy, I feel safer now.

Tony Moschetti
High Point

News & Record
November 26, 2001

The real price gougers

On Sept. 23, Tony Moschetti wrote about gasoline price gouging and asked that someone associated with that business respond. I do not meet that criterion and I am not certain he really wanted an answer, but I will try.

First, if Moschetti has ever sold his home, was his selling price based on his cost or on the current prevailing market prices? I suspect the latter since he would be replacing it at those current prevailing market prices.

Second, when Moschetti goes to the grocery store to buy chicken noodle soup, he probably finds the shelves fully stocked or near-fully stocked most every time; if the shelves were sparsely stocked with just a few cans, he would probably go elsewhere. This base stock is as much a necessary requirement for doing business as are the shelves and store. A business person who sells off the basic assets for an ongoing business only to replace them at higher prices will not remain in business for long.

I detest price gouging as much as Moschetti. I just think he is kicking the wrong dog. Proper examples could include a local book store more than doubling the printed price of a Sept. 12 Washington Post; the Pinehurst U.S. Open charging $3 a bottle for the only available water; and Piedmont Triad International Airport raising the price of 20-minute parking from 25 cents to 75 cents.

Bruce B. Raynor Jr.
Greensboro

News & Record
October 4, 2001

Price-gouging charge was a very low blow

Tony Moschetti (letter, Sept. 23) asks why a few price gougers come out in times of crisis. I would ask a different question: Why, when we are all busy uniting against terrorism, must a few whiners complain that gasoline prices are too high?

Normally I am against coercion, but perhaps the time has come for mandatory economics classes for the masses. Maybe then we wouldn't have people complaining that prices shouldn't increase when demand increases or supply decreases. Maybe then people would appreciate the fact that higher gas prices keep a few people from running out and pumping all they can in a state of panic, saving fuel for the rest of us. Maybe then we would recognize that the private act of "gouging" serves the public end of conservation.

We have been exposed to many macabre sights and sounds over the past few weeks. Statements equating our nation's gasoline sellers with the real terrorists are among the worst.

Jack Bladel
Greensboro

News & Record
September 28, 2001

Gas price increases are unconscionable

Why is it that in times of crisis when most Americans unite against a common enemy, a few profiteers show their fangs? Among the usual suspects are the oil profiteers. We have seen huge increases in gas prices overnight. Why? In almost every case that product has been paid for. It is current stock. How can that price change?

Once the tanks are filled and the bill paid I doubt whether a request for additional payment is sent. If the dealer paid $1 per gallon and charged $1.10 per gallon, why all of a sudden with no new delivery does he begin to charge $1.20 per gallon? He is still selling the same product for which he paid $1.

The dealers, whom most of us trust, tell us that they are told what price to charge by those from whom they buy the gasoline. If this is not gouging, what is it, and who is responsible?

Don't tell me about probable cuts in production, or rises in the price of crude oil. Those products will not arrive as refined gasoline for 90 days or more. We will understand a price increase at that time. But will someone in the oil distribution or wholesaling business please explain to us why you are again profiteering during a time of crisis? And what kind of people are you to do such a dastardly thing?

Tony Moschetti
High Point

News & Record
September 23, 2001

Election holiday isn't union plot

Regarding the proposed Election Day holiday, Tony Moschetti wrote (letter, Aug. 17), "This is just a ploy to give the unions, who already have a holiday on Election Day, even more time to round up folks, take them to the polls and direct them to vote for Democrats even if they know nothing about the person for whom they are 'voting.' "

Being a registered Republican and union worker whose wife is also a registered Republican and union worker, I would like to know where these so-called Election Day facts came from. Our neighbor is also a union worker and between the three of us we are members of three of the largest unions in the country. None of us gets the day off for elections.

Is this just another right-wing zealot who thinks he can throw the words "union" and "liberal" together and it is automatically the truth?

Because North Carolina is one of the least-unionized states in the country and, nationwide, there are only about 16 million union members in a country of about 200 million voters, the writer seems mighty nervous. Why?

Is it because he knows the extremists in the Republican Party are pushing us moderates away and we could eventually pull a Jim Jeffords and abandon him and his party?

Oh, and I expect there were a few people who voted for Republicans even if they knew nothing about the person for whom they were "voting."

Doug Ross
Burlington

News & Record
September 7, 2001

Citizens get passionate when discussing a potential state tax increase

State wrestles on taxes; Citizens get passionate when discussing a potential state tax increase.

By Paul Muschick
Staff Writer

If you're going to talk taxes with Tony Moschetti, pull up a comfortable chair - but not too close. Moschetti tends to get loud when cursing governments for taking too much of his paycheck.

''It's a subject that just angers me to no end,'' the High Point insurance agent said.

Karla Ewald isn't so loud, but supporters of higher taxes are rarely heard over tax opponents. The Greensboro woman would rather pay more so the state doesn't cut services.

''The level of service that we are talking about cutting would be catastrophic,'' said Ewald, executive director of the Association for Retarded Citizens of Greensboro.

North Carolina lawmakers and Gov. Mike Easley have yet to decide who they will appease as they debate whether to raise taxes. As they argue, one thing is
clear: Both Moschetti and Ewald have a point.

North Carolinians already pay plenty of taxes, especially gas and income levies, and people in other states pay less.

But plenty of people pay more, too. North Carolina isn't even close to being one of the heaviest-taxed states when all state and local taxes are considered.
Governments erase less from our paychecks than the national average.

The state and local governments took nearly $ 11 of every $ 100 earned in North Carolina in fiscal 1997-98, ranking the state 30th in the country. That does not include federal taxes.

When compared on a per-capita basis, or tax-per-person, the state ranks 33rd at $ 2,557, also lower than the national average.

The comparisons, from an annual survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, were released last month and are the most recent available. They include all taxes - property, income, sales, corporate and others.

Maine had the heaviest tax burden, with people paying more than $ 14 of every $ 100 earned to state and local taxes; New Hampshire ranked lowest at about $ 9.

People like Moschetti say North Carolina needs to do better because the state is taking a bigger hit in these hard times than other places. North Carolina experienced the sharpest drop in employment in the nation from May to June.

''They continue to raise the taxes of the people of this state while they're losing jobs,'' said Moschetti, a former member of the Guilford County Mental Health Board who has criticized public officials of all sorts in person and on radio talk shows.

Some lawmakers say North Carolina's taxes are acceptable.

''When you put the whole tax burden together, I think we have a pretty good place to live,'' said state Rep. Nelson Cole, a Rockingham County Democrat.

He said lawmakers have no choice but to raise taxes this year.

Legislators have to look at North Carolina's needs, he said, and not worry about how it ranks with other states.

''I don't think we necessarily look at that,'' Cole said. ''That's just a barometer that's out there.''

Nonsense, said state Rep. Harold Brubaker, a Republican on the other side of the tax talks.

''If you get your tax out of kilter, if you're going to be higher, people are going to flock to lower-tax areas,'' said the former House speaker from Asheboro. ''That's why it's critical to keep them in a good balance.''

He wishes the state had placed even lower on the list of how much earned income goes to taxes and won't support calls to raise them.

The Democrat-controlled legislature is pondering various tax hikes, including levies on liquor, managed care companies and personal income greater than $ 200,000.

Gov. Easley, a Democrat, last week suggested that lawmakers instead raise the state sales tax 1 percent.

North Carolina already ranks among the highest states in personal and corporate income tax, with $ 3.96 of every $ 100 made here going to those levies, ninth-highest in the land in 1997-98.

The state ranked 12th in the percentage of all income going to fuel taxes and 13th in alcohol taxes.

Some lawmakers say taxes will have to get higher. And though no one likes to lose more of their income, some taxpayers agree it's the right thing to do instead of cutting services.

''Not having a tax increase and devastating persons with special needs is just not the right way to go about it,'' Ewald said.

Others also have come forward urging people to support higher taxes to improve services.

Several local preachers lobbied people to support giving more money to the Guilford County Schools, even if it meant a tax hike, which it did.

''Nobody wants tax increases, but unfortunately the underpinnings of so many of our programs are at stake,'' Ewald said. Contact Paul Muschick at 883-4422, Ext. 231, or pmuschick@news-record.com

News & Record
August 19, 2001