LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Posted on 30 December 2015 by LeslieM

RE: Panhandlers

Dear Editor:

I moved to Deerfield Beach near Military Road and Sample Road a few years ago. I commute that route or on Sample Road by I-95. I see too many panhandlers [at] both corners. They [create] trash [and] litter. I see the regular panhandlers are not really homeless. [They] just make money rather than find a job. [It is] time to stop panhandlers in Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach.

Mark Sikora

Deerfield Beach

Kudos to Kathy Richards

Dear Editor:

Kudos to Kathy Richards for her column in the Observer entitled “My View, subtitle “What’s this?” [Dec. 17, p. 13]. She was right-on when she said the Reporter (C.V.E. newspaper) seems to print only what they want and what they feel is correct for the paper.

Some months ago, one of their columnists wrote an article about the senseless shooting of Michael Brown and the treatment of Freddie Gray in a police vehicle. It was quite evident the writer had no idea what police work is all about. I was a police officer for 25 years in a city, county and state police organization. I experienced many, many situations where I had to make an instant decision. Fortunately, I never had to use my weapon. Many times, I had my hands on my weapon and I was definitely ready to use it.

I wrote a Letter to the Editor and defended the police and the actions they took. Not one word was printed. I wrote a second letter to the editor complaining [that] nothing was published. I then wrote to the president of the Reporter explaining about my displeasure with [them]. I did not receive an answer from anyone.

Robert J. Zukas

Deerfield Beach

Collapse of an empire

Dear Editor:

I never thought I’d live to see the collapse of an empire.

In 476, the great Roman Empire was no more. It had taken the nosedive that all empires, before and after, had taken. And for basically the same reasons. It took the Roman Empire literally hundreds of years to collapse and many generations can share in the responsibility for its downfall. But collapse it did.

You can, however, read about it, because the downfall is in history books. It is long reading, but it is worth it, because, as I read it, I began to sense something familiar about it. To recap, many things contributed to the Roman Empire’s demise. Here, if you’re interested, are the main causes:

Barbarians—from surrounding territories—got inside the Empire’s border and the people were too busy living high on the hog to notice, or even care.

The Empire was contributing to wars outside their boundaries, and they were overspending just to keep it up.

The Empire let its infrastructure fall into disrepair and never bothered to maintain or repair it.

The Empire (under the emperors, of course) was rampant in corruption and totally helpless against political instability.

The Empire’s military force, which was substantial, was being replaced with mercenaries who had no tie to the Empire.

Whatever, “traditional values” the Empire had were gradually aborted and replaced with obscene literature, sexual misconduct, dishonest dealings and character chaos.

You may wonder why I am telling you all this. It’s because — as I said — I sense something familiar about it. And I feel I must share it with you.

What is gradually happening to the American Empire today (yes, we are an empire) is frighteningly [similar to] what happened to the Roman Empire. And if you fail to see the similarities you either aren’t paying attention, never read about the Roman Empire, or simply don’t care either way.

Think about what’s happening today in America. There are “barbarians” inside our borders, or trying to get in. And we’re not stopping them. In fact, our administration is letting many of them in.

America has a military presence in at least 130 foreign countries and we’re spending hundreds of billions of dollars to keep them there.

The infrastructure in most American cities is desperately in need of repair or rebuilding, but our money is being spent on “small” wars and foreign entanglements, which has put us $18 trillion in debt, and counting.

The American administration is wasteful and corrupt and most of our politicians are more committed to building personal wealth than they are doing the will of the people.

All this, I believe, is precisely what contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. Only, this time, we’re talking about the American Empire — the United States of America. We are, today, doing exactly what the population of the Roman Empire did 2000 years ago; and, unless we change, and fast, America is destined to wind up the same way: a collapsed nation.

Are we going to let this happen? Right now we’re doing nothing to stop it.

Jim Moore

Tallahassee, FL

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