To the editor: Why do some people have and some people have not? It depends on which group you ask. I believe the have nots would say that the haves must have stolen the goods and that the have nots were just unlucky. Wrong.

The founders of the USA left a society in England that was top down ruling class, and they founded a society that was bottom up from the people. We were given the opportunity to excel on our own to grow and prosper by our own sweat, knowledge and desire. Our political system was designed so that the government could not interfere with religion, but it recognized that religion was the moral fiber of the nation and the need to train leaders who would move this nation forward and promote freedom for all.

It was not long before the U.S. had surpassed Europe in prosperity, education and almost every other way. The rest of the world has been looking at our back sides since World War II, and this was because of a capitalistic system and a government that promoted self reliance and was founded in Christian principles. The system provided for a method to help those in hard times, but it encouraged them to help themselves and not be a burden on society.

Then came Progressives/Communists with the top-down control system with government bureaucrats in charge of telling everyone how to live. LBJ and the great society passed out hand outs and encouraged people to have children, stay on welfare and not work. The destruction of society began when the ACLU in co-operation with liberals began to condemn God and try to remove God from all aspects of society. I do not understand how a person can call himself a Christian and still support a Progressive/Communist agenda that removes all Christian material but then supports other religious dogma.

The consequences are the result of planning or the lack of planning. Ben Franklin said compassion which gives a drunk the means to increase his drunkenness is counter-productive. Compassion which breeds debilitating dependency and weakness is counter-productive. Compassion which blunts the desire or necessity to work for a living is counter-productive. Compassion which smothers the instinct to strive and excel is counter-productive.

To help those in hard times is required of those who have succeeded, but if you encourage laziness and support playing on the other person's dime, that is wrong. Misery and hard times are the consequences of people doing the wrong thing, but Chris Dodd and Barney Frank caused the misery in the housing market today. No one has been prosecuted yet for the criminal activity in the housing market.

Luke Knight