Bradley Guinn – 10/15/08

This page was last updated on October 18, 2008.

A few things for us to keep in mind; Bradley D. Guinn; Beaver County Times; October 15, 2008.

Back just before the 2004 election, Mr. Guinn peppered us with at least seven letters (here, here, here, here, here, here, here) (six of which were anti-Bush) from August 19^th to September 24^th. Other than a letter opposing illegal immigration in 2006, Mr. Guinn has been quiet since the 2004 outburst. It’s heartening to see, however, the quality of Mr. Guinn’s discourse hasn’t changed.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“As we decide who to vote for on Nov. 4, let’s remember:

“1. Who has been captain of our ship of state for eight years? George Bush.

“2. Who fired Paul O’Neal (short-term treasury secretary) who disagreed with the hawkish administration? Bush.”

[RWC] So what? President Bush also appointed Mr. O’Neill. At least Mr. Guinn could have spelled Mr. O’Neill’s name correctly.

“3. Who planned the Iraq War eight months before Sept. 11, 2001? Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld.”

[RWC] Let me get this straight. President Bush et al planned the Iraq war sometime before January 11, 2001? This was probably about the time they were also planning the 9/11 attacks, anthrax attacks, et cetera.

“4. Who wanted to privatize Social Security and Medicare and who wants to continue this proposal? Bush and John McCain.”

[RWC] Unfortunately, neither President Bush nor John McCain proposed privatizing Socialist Security. The proposal merely proposed taxpayers have the option to invest a very small portion (4%) of their SS taxes in personal accounts, but still under the oversight and rules of the SS Administration.

Second, Democrats themselves proposed and supported personal accounts in the late 1990s. Remember the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY), Sen. Hillary Clinton’s immediate predecessor? This was also a recommendation of the bipartisan President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security in 2001.

I don’t recall any proposal “to privatize … Medicare,” though I believe it should be phased out. Indeed, President Bush expanded Medicare with the prescription drug benefit.

“5. Who is giving the $700 billion bailout to the princes of Wall Street? Bush and Henry Paulson.”

[RWC] Hmm, I guess Mr. Guinn failed to note more Democrats in Congress voted for the bailout than Republicans. Of course, Mr. Guinn failed to note who was at the center of the mess.

“6. Why isn’t Barack Obama 30 points ahead? We can’t repeat the last eight years.”

[RWC] The real question should be, why would anyone with Mr. Obama’s core leftist principles get as much “support” as he has?

“7. I believe the Republicans stole the 2000 election with the hanging chads and by denying certain citizens the right to cast their votes and voiding certain absentee ballots.”

[RWC] Wow! Mr. Guinn must get his current events and history “facts” from MoveOn.org, DailyKos, et cetera. See “Bush lost in 2000 – not” to see what I mean.

“8. Who are the only true guardians of their own rights? The people, according to Thomas Jefferson (1809).”

[RWC] From a leftist view, Mr. Guinn went off the tracks with point eight.