I am a conservative voter who has consistently backed Republicans. I
have always thought that the worst thing for our economy was the "tax
and spend" policy of liberals. I still think this is wrong, but I have
found something worse of late.

I call it "don't tax and spend" economics. It's the idea that we can
cut taxes, perhaps permanently, and keep on spending like there is no
tomorrow. We can have our cake and eat it too and let the kids or
grandkids pick up the tab. We can have Iraq and manned missions to Mars
and everything else under the sun.

I always believed that Republicans were the party of fiscal
repsonsibility. I have now discovered that they were fiscally responsible
only when out of power.

If an individual spends more that they have, they are called a deadbeat
or worse. If a company does so, it is called bankrupt. If a politician
does so, they are called a House Republican. Zach Wamp himself has
admitted that many Republicans have, once in power, acted no better than
the Democrats that they replaced.

The only option is to pick a true fiscal conservative, a man with
responsibility, a man who takes promises that he makes seriously (see
Zach Wamp's flip-flop on term limits). We need Brent Benedict.

Geoff Dean
geoff@al-pha.com

* * *

I laughed out loud when I read Mr. Dean's statement that Brent Benedict is "a man who takes promises that he makes seriously." The Tennessee Division of Elections held the results of the U.S. House primary because of voting machine malfunctions, reporting irregularities, and who knows what. Because of these irregularities and the general confusion surrounding the election, opponents Brent Benedict and Terry Stulce made an agreement to jointly call for a recount, should the vote be separated by less than 1,000 votes. Both candidates posted this agreement on their websites - yet within 24 hours of having done so, Brent Benedict removed that statement from his site and declared himself the victor.

Is this Mr. Dean's idea of taking promises seriously? No doubt we can expect the same "high" standard of ethics from the rest of Brent Benedict's campaign.

And socially/fiscally conservative to boot? Lucky us. Seems that this fall we can vote for Republican A or Republican B. Can somebody please explain how the Democratic Party became so thoroughly infiltrated by the Republican Party? And they say the Soviet Union doesn't exist any more. Welcome to the one-party system, comrades!

Joy Day
joylovesnin@comcast.net

* * *

Indeed! I also am a conservative Republican, but I cannot support Zach. Bruce Benedict seems to have come out of nowhere, but take a good, long look at him. I think you will find that he represents a refreshing change.

We need to do two things:

1. Insist that Wamp debate Benedict, instead of skating away with some excuse yet again. When Wamp was the challenger against Marilyn Lloyd he insisted that she debate him. Now, as the incumbent, it somehow doesn't seem as important to him that the voters get to make those comparisons.

2. In light of his breaking his term limits pledge (he now says it was a mistake), we need to insist that he help us predict for the future just which promises he will keep and which he will discard when they become inconvenient. No, I don't really favor term limits myself, frankly. But this was a promise he made voluntarily becaused he sensed it was popular at the time. Now that the steam has gone out of that movement, and he has gotten comfortable in Washington, it's apparently a promise that need not be kept. That should tell us pretty much what we need to know about Mr. Wamp.

Ray Minner
Collegedale
rayminner@hotmail.com

* * *

Politics as usual has made mqny promises to us over the past 12 years. Politics as usual lies.

It lies over America like a heavy blanket of pollen. It waters the eyes, inflames the sinuses, and chokes the breath out of this great nation.

So long has it carpeted D.C. with its thick yellow residue, that many of us have begun to believe it permanent.

What is needed to rinse it away is a gentle shower of reason. Reason, what we used to call "common sense."

Common sense like:
"Don't spend more than you make."
"Don't make a promise you can't keep."

I for one say, "Bring on the rain." It's time Washington got a thorough washing. Let's send a true conservative with common sense to the House of Representatives.

Join me in voting for Brent Benedict, and help bring Zach back. Help Mr. Wamp keep at least one promise.

Then we can all breathe easier.

Eddie Haynes
neevle@yahoo.com

* * *

I wouldn't want a man or woman representing me who is not capable of changing his mind and big enough man to tell everybody that he was wrong.

I think Zach Wamp has done a good job of representing us in Washington. Just because your buddy is running for that post you shouldn't try to hurt the reputation and forget all the good the man in office has done. You should just say my friend is running and I'm voting for him and not badmouth the man who has done an exceptional job for the years he has represented us.

Zach is a good man and should keep the job. God bless Zach Wamp and his family.

Robert Gayler
rgayler2@comcast.net