What's New Robert L. Park 20 Dec 2012

WHAT'S NEW    Robert L. Park    Thursday, 20 Dec 2012   Washington, DC

1. GUN RIGHTS: NOTHING IS CERTAIN EXCEPT DEATH AND TEXAS.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry told a meeting of the Tea Party that you should be=20=

able to carry your handgun anywhere in Texas.  Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)=20=

said he wishes the school principal at Newtown had kept an M4 in her=20
office. At the sound of gunfire she could have grabbed the carbine and=20=

blown Adam Lanza=92s head off. Unless, of course, Adam, who she didn't kn=
ow,=20
was faster, or a better marksman, or had a bigger gun. I grew up on a far=
m=20
in South Texas, belonged to the National Rifle Association, hunted deer a=
nd=20
game birds. An Eagle Scout, I taught marksmanship on the rifle range of a=
=20
Boy Scout camp one summer. But a few years later when I came home on leav=
e=20
during the Korean War my father told me he had arranged for us to go deer=
=20
hunting. He was hurt when I said I don't hunt anymore. And I don't go bac=
k=20
to Texas anymore

2.CHILDREN: THEY STILL INSIST ON LEARNING FROM THEIR PARENTS.
Adam Lanza slaughtered 20 schoolchildren and seven adults. His first huma=
n=20
target was his mother, who regularly took Adam to a shooting range.=20=20=

According to one account, she was a gun-hoarding survivalist who stockpil=
ed=20
weapons in preparation for an economic collapse. Which brings us to the=20=

fiscal problem.

3. THE FISCAL CLIFF: THE ELECTION FAILED TO SETTLE THE CLASS WAR.
It used to be called the Graduated Income Tax. It was based on the simple=
=20
concept that those who benefit the most from our system should pay a larg=
er=20
share of its costs. Alas, it's not easy being rich. Expectations grow=20
faster than the economy. Like the lottery, the Republican tax plan depend=
s=20
on the support of wannabes that don't understand mathematics.=20

4. NEXT WEEK: IF WE HAVE TIME.
We'll try to get back to the global warming/population problem.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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