To the editor:

“All politics is local” is a quote from

Tip O’Neill, a politician from years back. The quote is still pretty accurate today.

I read the local paper and there are stories about closing schools and expanding classes for lack of funding, neighbors that are going under financially and have to sell out due to medical bills that aren’t covered by insurance companies and a bake sale so the schools that are left can continue music education.

And don’t get me started on the so-called “compassionate conservatives” who seem to be fighting tooth and nail to prevent some relief from these huge burdens that our friends and neighbors are bearing.

We have a congressman and two senators who continue to vote for business-as-usual and against the interests of the people that they are sworn to represent.

I spent quite a while on the phone with Congressman Larsen’s administrative aide in Washington, D.C. re: Larsen’s reasons for continuing to vote in favor of funding America’s wars all over the world, yet he insists that universal healthcare for all Americans is too expensive.

“Defense spending creates jobs” is what it finally came down to.

In other words, it’s more profitable to fund the killing of people than to help the people that need the help, our own people. These are our friends and neighbors, human beings the world over just like us, yet the war profiteers and insurance executives’ interests are more important to our representatives than the very real needs of the people.

America spends more for “defense” than all the other major world powers combined, yet can’t take care of her people. America is the largest arms dealer in the world, of both conventional and weapons of mass destruction. America sells this technology to the highest bidder, no matter the human rights record. This does not project peace to the rest of the world.

I humbly ask what, exactly, are we defending?

Dan Freeman

Clinton