Words to Live By Since 1993 A SPIFF Publication Vol. 3, No. 26 Welcome to all our second-time readers. Just the Facts, Ma'am It has come to the attention of your widely praised and deeply loved publishers of WTLB that many of our readers have called for the reprimand or beheading of us here at Spiff for comments in last week's edition. A few thoughts: It was gratifying to know that so many people read WTLB. Judging by the number of calls flying around, it is quite a large number. We hope many of our first-time readers will become full-time readers We want to thank the people who agreed with our view and contacted us directly. All information in the article was received directly from party leaders and members of the committee that voted on the proposed changes in primary election procedures. Several versions of the same story seem to be floating around these days. We are still, and will always be, opposed to any changes in a system that cuts people out of the process based on their political beliefs or candidate allegiances. Winner-take-all primaries do that, whether they are based on a state vote or congressional district vote, no matter what state they are in and no matter what candidate they favor. The argument of "everyone else does it" does not work. We currently have a better system than other states, because Tennessee allows people the opportunity to participate in the national convention, no matter which Republican candidate they support (except maybe for Arlen Specter, but who cares about him?). According to the millions of telephone calls zipping over Ma Bell's soon-to-be-competitive wires, the Foster comments also created a stir. We would like to take the occasion of this overreaction to remind you that Spiff is a cooperative effort, not the views of one individual. There is a reason why we here at Spiff refer to ourselves as "we here at Spiff." Here, we practice what we preach. No article published in WTLB gets censored because it might make someone uncomfortable--even the other contributors. Many of the problems we have today are here because people won't tell you what they really think. They are afraid it will hurt their standing in society, their group, or yes, even their political party. We aren't. So, before any calls are made to slam individuals for their comments, remind yourself that you don't know which individual wrote them. All that aside, we're still floating. The Spiff Executive Tower, on the banks of the mighty Cumberland River, took some pretty heavy shots this week--but we ain't sunk. And we are ready to continue to tell you our view of things. Week after week, Spiff has brought you the truth about issues in a timely (usually), clear (not counting typos), and lighthearted manner. The trick to this game, folks, is not to take everything so seriously. Bringing you the news and having a little fun are what we are all about. And that is exactly what we intend to keep on doing. As with other things, there must be chaaange, and we here at Spiff believe in democracy (except when Ross Perot gets in the race and screws everything up.) That belief in democracy extends to ourselves, and judging by the vitriol of the comments this week, the guillotine has already been rolled into the town square. Therefore, so many of our readers may rest comfortably and not have to rely on large doses of stress pills, one of your benevolent Spiff publishers has decided to flee into exile, giving up his corner window office, and retire his keyboard. He has heard Elba is nice this time of year. Yes, he will miss the days of ripping President Clinton and Bill, and he will always have a special place in his heart for Owl. From the beaches of Elba, he asked us to pass along his thanks to the Fan Club (You know who you are down there in Williamson County) and pass along this little pearl of wisdom. "When in doubt, ask, 'What would The President do?'" But most of all, we thank those of you who stay strong with Spiff. Two years ago, we joined with other frustrated Americans in a crusade to bring down the libs. In Congress, we did it last year. In the White House, we will do it next year. Speaking as but one part of a big machine, we hope we have made these last two years a little easier to live with. Keep reading, keep faxing, and never stop saying what you believe. You'll tick off others. (Trust us, we know!) But you'll feel good about yourself. Go, Speed Racer! Once again, Congress is talking (That's all so far.) about getting rid of the national 55 mph. speed limit. This time, though, anything is possible. Republicans rule. The Senate has actually passed a bill that includes, among other things (including, sadly, more pork highway projects) the repeal of the national speed limit, and the House has looked at several different versions of the same thing. Remember long, long ago, back in the early '70s, when states could, among other things again, determine for themselves how fast people should drive within their borders? Then came the Arab oil embargo, and an "emergency" measure to conserve energy. Folks, emergencies like this don't last 25 years. The emergency is over. It's time to go back to reality. Later, back in the decade of greed, the libs in Congress decided that it could get public support for its National Humongous Pork Barrel Highway Improvement and More Pork for West Virginia Act if it included a provision for allowing the states to raise the speed limit from 55 to 65 on a small number of their highways. It worked. In fact, it worked so well and 55 was so hated that The President's veto was overridden. Sure, it's better for the omniscient bureaucrats in Washington to allow the states to allow their citizens to drive 65 than for the omniscient bureaucrats to force the states to make their citizens drive 55. But now it's time to put the decision-making back where it belongs: in the 50 state capitals, where the people who drive on the roads know the roads. The opponents are complaining that if the House passes this bill, thousands of people will die. Of course not. This bill does not make people drive faster. It does not raise the speed limit. It doesn't do anything. But now, states will be able to take care of their own business. Some states will raise speed limits on some roads. Some may even eliminate speed limits if that's what the people want. Some will do nothing. It's up to the people. That's what makes America great. (And we didn't mention the 10th amendment once.) Quote of the weak: "Food stamps should be the kind of thing that all of us ought to be entitled to." Maureen Taylor, a "welfare advocate" Quote of the strong: " " Margaret Thatcher, answering the question "What do you think of President Clinton as a world leader?" Words to Live By is published every week at about this time by Spiff. You can send a fax to us here in the Spiff Executive Tower, on the banks of the mighty Cumberland River, at 615-847-2259.