Danny the Vampire Fish

I think the government should take all military spending out of the general budget and place it under a special category to be paid for by a national sales tax.

The military benefits all of us — citizens and businesses. Then, if we have another war, the sales tax could be raised to pay for it and then reduced after the war is over.

It’s a matter of pay as you go. Then our income tax rates could be reduced.

While we are at it, since most states have lotteries, we might as well have a national lottery, with the revenue from it used to pay down the national debt or pay for new or existing programs.

That way, if we like a certain program we could voluntarily pay for that program by playing that particular lottery game or not playing it if we don’t like that program — programs like NASA, Amtrak, schools, energy, farms, or business subsidies.

Danny W. Shultz
East Brady

I would like to ask a question about football and hockey concussions.

Why doesn’t someone invent a sort of cage to surround the head and helmet of the players that would leave enough room for the head to turn and would come down over the shoulder pads and strap around the chest and back? That would allow the body to absorb the hit with little movement of the head.

The cage might look strange at first, but I’m sure it could be prettied up.

I’m sure today’s helmets and shoulder pads looked strange when they first began to be used.

Danny Shultz
East Brady

Are some dogs, cats, birds, bees and other insects and animals
born homosexual?

I find that hard to believe.

Is a smoker born one? Is a drunk or drug user born one?

I find that hard to believe.

It is more likely their lifestyles are, for the most part, chosen from childhood or from happenings later on, when they were exposed to and experimented with those things.

Danny W. Shultz
East Brady

On Nov. 5, I followed two state police cruisers through the city of Butler.

They were going 40 mph in a 25 mph zone, without any flashing lights or sirens, between the red light at the Little Red Schoolhouse and the red light at Monroe and East Jefferson streets.

Can a citizen give them a speeding ticket?

Danny W. Shultz
East Brady

Since Republicans and Demo-crats both vote with their party leaders, who end up being crud balls, why not elect some reformists? Then neither party would have a majority.

That would make me happier.

Danny W. Shultz
East Brady

I was watching CNN on Jan. 3 when it had a report about increasing the number of bars in Utah.

CNN said Utah already has a law that allows two bars per block. Their governor wants a law to increase it to three or more.

It seems to me CNN reports on booze just for the purpose of increasing beer and other alcohol advertising; or, because they mentioned in that story that Mormons are against drinking, maybe CNN has something against the Mormon religion.

I think CNN has a bias toward boozing, as do many other news programs.

Danny Shultz
East Brady

I think people who use marijuana should buy or rent houses next to those of Butler Eagle letter writers Dr. Amesh A. Adalja and James Matson, as well as columnist Kathleen Parker.

All three support legalization of marijuana.

Obviously, none of those three people ever would report marijuana users to police, since users are harmless and innocent.

Danny W. Shultz
East Brady

I am writing in response to the Oct. 21 Kathleen Parker column, “Reefer sanity: a rational marijuana position.”

Legalizing dope would be saying, “Go ahead and do it. It’s legal.”

I don’t read in the paper that “dopes” are being treated any worse than drunk drivers or drunks urinating in parking lots.

Tobacco is being taxed to death, and there are those who want to tax “fat foods” also. So why aren’t we taxing “boozers” more?

Danny W. Shultz
East Brady

Why don’t we start out small with health care reform for the 40 million uninsured Americans, say $1,200 for two doctor office visits, two dental office visits and one eye doctor visit per year, and also use some of it toward any drugs prescribed?

Each visit or drug would require a $10 co-pay to cut down on abuse. If they exceed their $1,200 limit, they would need to purchase additional private insurance or hope the government would bail them out.

That would come to $48 billion ($1,200 multiplied by 40 million uninsured). Over 10 years that would amount to $480 billion — only half of the $1 trillion that is now being talked about.

Danny W. Shultz
East Brady

While the government is throwing away the money of grandkids and great-great-great-grandkids, I would like to see the government deposit $1,000 for each person in the United States into the Thrift Savings plan that Congress and all government employees have.

At 300 million people, times $1,000, that would be $300 billion.

That way, everyone would own a piece of the stock market and America. It might help the stock market and the IRAs.

If that were to happen, it might give employees and employers incentive to add to it in the future, if the government would add some tax breaks for it.

Danny W. Shultz
East Brady