From TheLedger.com

This year is starting off better than 2009, despite Congress and President Barack Obama accomplishing nothing to help small businesses. While some believe increasing taxes and deficit spending will solve the problems (by giving the Congress more to spend), it is small businesses and families that pay the majority of taxes that allow President Obama and the Congress the money to spread the wealth.

So far, Wall Street got a bailout and the American people got stuck with the bill. If you want to make a difference, contact your representative and senators and demand:

Energy independence.

Fiscal responsibility.

Term limits. (Yes, I know the act of voting has the effect of term limits, but many politicians were or are there for life, e.g., Strom Thurmond, Ted Kennedy, Jesse Helms, Robert Byrd, Jay Rockefeller, Carl Levin, Bill Nelson.) It’s a millionaires’ club, and the members are good at spending the taxpayers’ money.

As for energy independence, we have the resources and technology.

For fiscal responsibility, cap the budget. That’s what we have to do with our household budgets and businesses.

With respect to term limits, 10 years in the House and 12 years in the Senate, that’s it. The American citizens were able to term limit the presidency after Franklin D. Roosevelt. We can term limit the bums who have spent us into $12 trillion in debt.

As long as conservatives, liberals and moderates, independents, Democrats, Republicans (and the countless minor parties) keep fighting amongst themselves, nothing will get done except more damage to this country. Divide and conquer!

That’s pretty much what the two parties have done while driving us further and further into debt, and into further dependence on foreign energy sources.

ROBERT STANZ

Lakeland