To The Editor:

The current debate over the federal stimulus package is a seminal moment for leaders at every level and of every party. This debate provides a clear picture of the difference between politicians and statesmen.

As schoolchildren we are taught that “character counts,” particularly when the chips are down. Every

leader in our nation should stand firm and reject their “fair share” of this stimulus.

My small community of Lehigh Acres has now come into the national spotlight as an example of desperate need.

To be sure, the speculative housing bubble left

many needs in our community. However, I cannot justify asking the children of Oregon to shoulder the financial burden of addressing problems here in Lee

County. Beyond the base insult of being used for political propaganda, there is nothing so dire occurring in my community that it cannot be addressed by the hard work of local citizens.

President Obama has described our nation as on a precipice and that this vote will determine whether we rise or fall. I could not agree with him more.

By selling our freedom for so little, we would be like a teenage girl who gives away her most sacred possession on the promise that it is “true love.” We have heard how the government will fix all of our problems for over a century now and yet they fail to deliver on the promise time and again, because government cannot fix what we are unwilling to address for ourselves.

Matt Caldwell

Lehigh Acres