SQUANDERING THE NATION'S BLESSINGS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 14, 1993                   TAG: 9304140325
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
SQUANDERING THE NATION'S BLESSINGS
OUR PRESIDENT has asked for ideas for paying off our $4 trillion debt. The legal interest rate of 6 percent amounts to $240 billion, which is sapping America to death. Congress is spending $1.5 trillion, but only takes in $1.1 trillion, increasing the national debt at the rate of $400 billion yearly. In other words, Congress is collecting by taxation 73.3 percent and adding debt of 26.6 percent, spending it all. This is destructive to our government. It is evident that Congress and the president cannot run the government.
Frugality is a Christian virtue. Patrick Henry said, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded . . . by Christians . . . on the Gospel of Jesus Christ." George Washington stated, "It is impossible to rightly govern . . . without God and Bible." Other founding fathers made similar statements.
Our Congress, president and Supreme Court has reneged on these values and turned God Almighty and prayer out of schools and government, raising a generation of infidels and criminals. They are squandering our nation to waste, after America has enjoyed God's blessings for 200 years.
How do we correct our sins? Put God and prayer in government, schools and our daily lives. The last salary raise of $25,000 to Congress, judges and government officials must be repealed. Then cut $26,000 more from their salary to reduce the debt. Outlaw lobbyists running up and down the halls of Congress bribing our representatives with special-interest funds. Outlaw elections financed with special-interest funds. Outlaw the multitude of perks. When this is done, then they can cut the budget for special interests to the tune of 26 percent. This will reeduce the debt $400 billion yearly, and in 10 years we will have it paid and can return to the blessings of the Almighty. TATE BOWEN ALLEGHANY COUNTY

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB