&letterheadScouts

scouted

TO THE EDITOR: Fall is the time many organizations recruit new members. Among the great things children can be involved in such as religious groups, sports, school clubs, and other youth groups, I want to point parents and children to join their local Boy or Girl Scout troop or pack. Scouting provides the opportunity for children as young as six to learn outdoor skills, leadership, teamwork and community values.

We usually get word out through presentation at schools, but in our area schools are not allowing outside groups to present this year. Thus, I am hoping parents of boys and girls, age 6-10, especially first graders in the Saranac area, will see this letter and come to our Fall Round-up Sept. 12, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Saranac Town Hall.

For those in other towns call the Boy or Girl Scout district offices for your local volunteer leaders and get involved in scouting. Scouting was one of the greatest influences in my life and it can be for your children as well.

Stanley Hatch

Cadyville

&letterheadOpposes

bailout

TO THE EDITOR: I do not support a bailout of the banks involved in this mortgage mess. It would reward the lenders' irresponsibility. They need to go out of business. The banks that avoided these types of loans can pick up business and continue to make sound loans. The banking regulations keeping commercial banks out of this end of the loan business were removed in the late 1990s and should be reimposed, no additional regulation is required. Give tax incentives and possibly loans to banks to take on these mortgages, with a requirement they refinance them with willing borrower at lower rates and monthly payments.

Make no mistake -- these mortgages do have value. They are secured by real property. Yes, the value of this property has come down, but there is still value there. This would keep people in their homes, help the housing market by keeping more homes off the market and create thousands of jobs reworking these loans. The general public would have confidence restored as foreclosure signs come down, property values stabilize, housing construction (jobs) pick up, and the government isn't seen as only helping the wealthy.

If these companies are bailed out The dollar will drop. There will be massive inflation. Real-interest rates will go up from the federal borrowing. It will not help the homeowner who was caught up in this mess. Home building will continue to spiral down (lost jobs) due to the glut of houses on the market. There will be too many lenders, some will go belly up anyway. The good banks may start to have financial trouble because their poorly managed competition will be flush with bailout $s. This may leave poorly run banks intact and the good banks to fail. Or will we bail them out too?

The dollars given these banks may not even stay in the USA or be lent out. We are already devaluating our dollar due to our government's overspending. $600,000,000,000 next year, plus the $100,000,000,000 war in Iraq, plus the $1,100,000,000,000 thus far for the bailout, that is $1.8 trillion in debt in one year. That is about $5,000 per person in the USA. And it's not over. Revelation 13:7

Tim Sherman

Westport town councilman