The Department of State has a very large staff and budget that is constantly growing without re-evaluating the need for growth in this age of instant communication and video chat. To protect personnel we could leave many staff positions in the United States and forward their work by way of FAX machines. Some services that an embassy or consulate provides could be provided by an automatic teller machine, like kiosks in an airport or other relatively secure location. Smaller, faster, more fuel efficient planes, even with special long-range modifications, should be much less costly to fly.
Pentagon staffing should continue to be looked into as it doesn’t require an officer to carry a general’s briefcase or perhaps if a general can no longer carry his own briefcase he or she should retire. People who work as paid lobbyists should not also receive government or military pensions at the same time, in order to further reduce the burden that lobbyists impose on government staff time. Some things that will save the taxpayers money in the long run will require up-front investment in less costly to use equipment, such as electric or alternatively-fueled vehicles. Growing food in greenhouses, ( plants, fish, animals), at jails and prisons while aiding university and private research will allow prisoners and staff to be fed better while reducing food costs and providing training opportunities for new careers for inmates.
Water-cooled photovoltaic panels could be installed on government buildings to provide not only research opportunities but to save in both the cost of electricity and hot water.
—David A. Shepard
Bristol
Letters to the Editor
Savings can be realized through government innovation
- Letters to the Editor
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Why do immigrants come to the U.S. illegally?
With the current increased interest in fixing our broken immigration system both political parties are putting forth legislation.
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Safety along C.R. 35 is a concern
This letter is meant to bring awareness and hopefully corrections in regard to C.R. 35 in Elkhart County. Something needs to be done immediately to enforce the laws pertaining to the use of C.R. 35.
- Emphasis on gun control makes you wonder
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Goshen should stick with ‘Redskins’
I must respond to the letter to the editor from Mr. Ron Chupp (The Goshen News, May 9). What’s in a name, Mr. Chupp? I too have a Native American heritage, and for some reason, I am not offended by the term Redskins, or brown skins or any other color of skins.
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More important issues than a nickname
I would like to, in the most respectful way possible, respond to Mr. Chupp’s letter (The Goshen News, May 9) regarding the ongoing debate over the term “Redskins” being used as the nickname and mascot for the Goshen school system.
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There is hope through God
May I share what happened to me after praying about the issue of whether to have guns carried by school authorities at Goshen High School. While calling out to God, my question was: Why have we as a nation come to trusting in government agencies, such as Homeland Security, rather than obeying the Constitution in what you have declared through our forefathers?
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Sheriff has this reader's support
This letter is in defense of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and in response to Shari Mellin’s letter (The Goshen News, May 8) about Sheriff Brad Rogers not obeying the laws related to anti-gun legislation
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‘Redskins’ nickname is offensive
The question posed (in the May 5 edition) was, “What’s in a Name?” In the case of the GHS (Redskins) mascot, it is insult, degradation, racism, and an ongoing slap-in-the face reminder of the disgusting manner in which my Native American ancestors were treated by Europeans.
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Millrace projects threaten a Goshen gem
The city of Goshen is in the 11th hour for the five Redevelopment Commission members to hear the voices of its residents concerning the millrace redevelopment proposals at its next meeting at 4 p.m. on May 14.
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We don’t need a community center
We want to keep this short and to the point. We keep reading articles and letters in the papers about the proposed community center in Goshen. Our question is why?
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