Lee Lucas writes that their acceptance of resettlement grants from the government is also an issue.
To the Editor:
All the major Christian churches in the United States have come out in favor of bringing Muslim refugees into America from the Middle East.
The Roman Catholic Church is proud to boast that Catholic Charities organizations resettle approximately 30 percent of the refugees who arrive in the United States each year. The Diocese of Camden operates one such program.
Catholic charities are getting a lot of money under federal and state government contracts for resettlement activities. But I think they want to keep that a secret. It raises eyebrows about the separation of church and state.
Will the Catholic church be used by unscrupulous politicians, the same way that Christian evangelicals are being manipulated? The public, which is stupid and gullible, may be persuaded by the churches to go along with immigration policies that are harmful to the public safety and economic strength of the nation.
Demonstrators on the opposing side react to the pro Syrian rally. Pro Syrian refugee rally held on the green in Newton, N.J., fires up counter protest. Saturday, December, 5, 2015 (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Beware of politicians who align themselves with religion. These sly foxes may not have the best interests of the American people at heart, and could be working for the powerful stock exchanges.
Churches should stay out of politics. Church dignitaries should not make use of religious institutions to injure their nation, and I believe wide-open immigration has allowed danger into America.
Religious-based immigration non-profits are taking money from a federal government that has $19 trillion of debt. Plus, our state government is having difficulty making its contribution toward public employee pensions.
We Americans are having trouble taking care of ourselves. We cannot afford to take in all these refugees and their problems.
Lee Lucas
Gibbstown
GOP is the 'free stuff' party
To the Editor:
The GOP -- the "Greed Over People" party -- is at it again. Republicans are making wild claims about "free college, free this, free that" and impugning Bernie Sanders' policies with their bogey-man definition of "socialist."
In reality, Sanders should be viewed as a modern-day Franklin Delano Roosevelt-style "New Dealer."
Which socialistic programs are the majority of Americans ready to abandon as they fall prey to the smears of the actual "free stuff" party, the Republicans? Shall we do away with Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, public education, firefighting, policing or the military? These are all socialist-style programs that our capitalist society has decided are good for our national community.
In this day and age, as our nation is being gutted of manufacturing jobs by the political class, increasing in our investment in higher education would be a cost-wise move. It would not be "free college;" it would be paid for by all citizens who want to see our country progress.
Let me explain why I call the Republicans the party of "free stuff." There is $19 trillion of public debt. Republicans claim tax cuts will lead to staggering economic growth. Economists largely have concluded this is a fictional fantasy.
Most Republicans in what has become the sewer hole of Washington have signed a lobbying group's pledge to never raise taxes under any circumstances. If your policy is not to raise additional revenue, and you can't "grow the economy" enough to pay down the debt, then you are the party of free stuff.
The Republicans pander for Baby Boomers' votes with promises of more tax cuts -- marking them as the "Deadbeat Generation." It's as if this generation has said to its children: "Sorry, kids. Paying off this debt will really be a heavy lift for you in the new low-wage economy the political elite have built for you these last 30 years. Good luck."
Roy Lehman
Woolwich Township
'Crybaby' Trump disqualifies himself
To the Editor:
What our country needs is a strong president; a person who will face all problems here and abroad head on, with purpose and conviction.
We can rule out one of the candidates running for the endorsement of the Republican Party. Donald Trump did not attend the Jan. 28 GOP debate held by Fox News and Google.
The reason was that he didn't want to be asked any questions by one of the Fox News moderators, Megyn Kelly. Trump claimed she had asked him an unfair question in a debate in August.
The easy way out for Trump was not to show up. If Trump is afraid of Megyn Kelly, how can he function as a strong leader in this turbulent world?
We don't need a crybaby sitting in the White House. The last thing we need is another thin-skinned president of the United States.
There are many other candidates in the Republican Party who can fulfill the duties of president, and who won't back down from shirking their responsibilities as the leader of the free world. And, they aren't afraid of any questions that Megyn Kelly may ask them in a debate.
David M. Levin
Vineland
Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com