I recently received an e-mail via Groupon concerning a discounted offer for a subscription to the Raleigh News and Observer at a discounted rate. Now being in IT for the past fifteen years which involves sitting behind a computer for a good part of the day, almost all of the news I read is on the Web; WRAL, CNN, AP, PBS, etc. I peruse these sites mainly hitting the highlights and occasionally posting an interesting article to Facebook. That being said, deep down I actually prefer an old-fashioned newspaper. I like the sound of the turning of the pages, I like being able to fold it up and get comfortable. If you see a man with a newspaper, there is a man who is informed, whereas a man with an iPad is probably just playing Words with Friends or something of the sort. My dad takes the paper and has ever since I have known him which is going on forty three years soon. Growing up, that was part of his morning routine, the paper and a lot of coffee. Dad takes great care in reading a newspaper. Once he is finished, the paper looks barely touched, whereas when I am finished with one, it is barely recognizable which in my teen years was one of several sources of irritation between father and son. Back to 2013, I see this N&O Groupon, I take the bait, and voila, I am a brand spanking new subscriber. I now take the paper. Add this with incorporating hot tea back into my diet of late and another proud generation of the Keith clan is continuing the proud tradition of hot caffeinated beverages and keeping abreast of current events. We do indeed live in exciting times. That being said, I was reading the paper this past Tuesday morning (July 2, 2013 for you reading this at the C.E. Keith II Museum located in Shawsville, VA in the year 2125) when I happened upon an editorial written by Rep. George Holding concerning the cost associated with President Obama's recent trip to Africa' "What means this I say?". Why is the distinguished gentleman from Wake County taking the time to write an op/ed piece that is petty and partisan? There are so many issues we are facing as a country, heck that we are facing as a state and even as a county, and this is what our congressman decides to take a stand on, that the president's trip costs a lot of money! I was incensed (ok, more annoyed than incensed, but I have to used inflammatory language to keep the high school kids on a field trip in the future engaged in this), and being so incited, I took up my pen and I wrote a response to the congressman and sent it to the editor! In truth it was an e-mail to the editorial mailing list and some intern probably sorts through them, but to you future kids at Shawsville Intergalactic High School, I have now followed in the footsteps of many a great statesmen and submitted my opinion to the city's leading newspaper in order to shine a light in the dark places which do dot the littered landscape of the The People's Forum on the editorial page. So in taking on such a daunting task, perhaps I should sign such a piece with my full given name, no? I will admit, it does have a nice ring, but it doesn't quite strike the right tone. I could just go with my nickname, but I don't want to appear too folksy. I know, I will used my first and middle initial and then my last name with suffix so that they won't think that it is my dad relapsing on coffee. Thus C.E. Keith II, a man who take the paper, a voice crying in the wilderness! Citizen and hot tea drinker!
Perhaps a tad much, but please bear in mind posterity is reading this and this blog piece is no doubt competing with some holographic X-Station virtual reality game implant in your great great grand kid's eye. I am not sure if the N&O will print my editorial (if they do not, I am sure the future kids are laughing at this huge error on the N&O's part) so for my blog subscribers I have added it below. Enjoy and note the clever twist at the end.
In U.S. Rep. George Holding’s editorial “Obama’s Costly Trip
to Africa” in the July 2nd edition of the News and Observer, Mr.
Holding points out that the president’s recent trip to Africa will cost up to
$100 million dollars. Mr. Holding states
that although it is important that the president “foster bilateral relations
with foreign nations” and that this is a “crucial role” for the president, the
costs for this trip to Africa at a time when Americans are “out of work and
struggling to make ends meet” are just too much. Mr. Holding also points out that $100 million
could “pay the annual salary of 2,000 teachers in North Carolina or of the
22,000 civilian employees who were furloughed in the state due to defense
cuts”.
I agree with Mr.
Holding, that it is crucial for our president, as part of his job, to foster
bilateral relations with foreign nations.
This aspect of the chief executive’s position sometimes requires him to travel
abroad and yes that can be very expensive, but alas it is one of the
president’s many responsibilities that he is expected to discharge. I also agree that$100 million is a lot of
money. It would be far lest costly if
the president could have accomplished the objectives on this trip via Skype, I
would love to see that money spent to help people hard hit in these rough
economic times such as the 22,000 civilian employs who were furloughed due to
defense cuts that occurred because of the sequester that Rep. Holding voted
for. Mr. Holding is quick to point out
the costs that are incurred with the president fulfilling his duties, but the
real costs are inflicted upon his constituents due to the failure of Mr.
Holding and his esteemed colleagues to legislate any real solutions in regards
to the many issues facing our country, such as our national debt, our
immigration crisis, major issues involving gun-violence, and such. The Congress was elected to make laws and to
govern, that is their job. So in that it
is nice to see that the distinguished gentlemen representing Wake County is
privy to the hard times facing people in North Carolina, let us implore him to
do the job that he was elected for and to allow the president to do his.
C.E. Keith II
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