New columnist brings democratic voice By Columnist Brian C. House, London Sentinel-Echo "The Rooster's Perch" There are many voices in London. Our little town has changed a lot in the 48 years I have lived here. We have grown from a sleepy village of a few thousand people alongside Highway 25 to a busy interstate intersection of commerce in the Southeastern United States. More than 50,000 people make their home here now--and most come from somewhere else. Our new neighbors have experienced different things growing up and have the benefit of varied cultural experiences, all of which contribute to the vibrant fabric of life in London. The Sentinel-Echohas been an important catalyst in promoting that grown of diversity by opening its pages to opinions from a variety of perspectives. Some of the opinions we see in this paper make us feel good about who we are, and they affirm the way we live our lives. Other writers' opinions anger us and make us wonder how anyone could think that way. Still, until this column there has been absent from these pages a perspective that is help by a large percentage of readers--the Democrat voice. I am a Democrat. If you aren't exactly sure what that is, give this column a few months--it will become apparent to you. This column will comment in part on politics, but it will not be a political column. Politics are only a small part of who we are and is often derivative of other things playing out in our community. I look at life, and I invite you to look along with me. A town is at its best when its citizens are working and thinking together about the direction the town should take. The key word here is thinking. I hope this column will make you think rather than sit back and follow the lead of the few--who may or may not be on the right track to begin with. Well, let's do the Democrat thing for a while and get it out of the way early on. Here goes: I think good government makes peoples lives better. Sometimes that means sacrifice and taxes. Taxes aren't bad as long as the rich and businesses pay more than working people. As a Democrat, that's how I like taxes to work. Tax corporations, and the rich who own them, pour that money into programs that help the least of our people who need help. Republicans in Washington give tax breaks to big business and the rich and soak the rest of us. I don't like that. There is something morally wrong about lower corporate taxes and record oil company profits at the same time. If you are opposed to taxes in general, then think of the two largest tax hikes to hit you in years and both were levied by Laurel County elected officials: the occupational tax and increased property taxes. Until the Fiscal Court took the heat and passed the occupational tax, we were short of money for basic county maintenance and monies for industrial recruitment. Now we have money on hand and are not beholden to Frankfort and Washington for everything. The same for property taxes--that money stays in Laurel County and makes life better for us. Believe me, I felt the pain when my assessments were raised, but schoolchildren need books, and we need to keep our teachers. We need good roads and equipment to maintain them and now we can pay for it. Taxes can change lives and be a good thing. The United States Constitution is the thread that holds this country together, and we must treat it with great respect. It is not a toy to be tinkered with because of the political whims of either political party. There must always be separation of church and state. Someday the demographics of America may change, and Christianity won't be the majority religion in this country. I don't want another faith being the faith of my government. All amendments to the constitution are important. You can't pick and choose. Freedom of assembly and speech must be protected at all costs, the same for the freedom of the press that flows from that. Americans have fought and died for the right to be heard, and I want everyone to be heard even if I don't agree with them. The right to bear arms is not negotiable. Our Founding Fathers gave us the right to be armed because they knew the government could not always protect us. A democracy that is not armed is not a democracy at all, but people living under the permission of a despot. So I'll keep my guns, thank you very much. I think war is a horrible thing, and we should never enter into war lightly or be deceived into war. Deciding to enter a war and criticizing the decisions that put us there is much different from supporting the young men and women who fight the war. Soldiers fight when they are told to fight, and we all want them home safe. They need our support to do their job, and I have no patience with anyone who turns their back on our soldiers in the field. At the same time, responsible Americans should be looking very critically at the conduct of the Bush Administration in leading us into the war in Iraq. There were never weapons of mass destruction, and President Bush knew he had no evidence of WMD. The American people were lied to about the war. When the Bush White House was caught in the lie, they disclosed the identity of a CIA agent to retaliate against here husband who had reported the deception to the American people. Just imagine the wailing Rush Limbaugh would have made had a member of the Clinton Administration compromised a secret agent's cover. Now the shoe is on the other foot. So there it is--a little introduction to The Rooster's Perch. I hope you enjoy the column, but more importantly I hope you will think about the issues raised here and will become involved in the life that is London and Laurel County. We are an evolving community, full of good people. Write to me when you agree and when you disagree. I don't claim to be infallible, and I've been known to admit it when I'm wrong. Getting down from my perch now .... Brian C. House is an attorney practicing in London.