Those who make rules profiting nicely

• Article

There are a couple of pockets in America that are doing quite well economically: the Dakotas because they are working hard to produce efficient, low-cost energy, and Washington, D.C., because, well, we are all forced to send money there and they make the rules.

The surrounding counties to D.C. in Virginia and Maryland are becoming some of the wealthiest in America. Unemployment is low while incomes and home values are on the rise. This would be encouraging if this area was industrialized and was producing something that contributed to our overall economy, but clearly it isn't and it doesn't.

I recently watched the Hillary Clinton hearings regarding Benghazi, and they reminding me a lot of the gatherings Washington had to discuss gun control. Both seemed to be nothing more than publicized meetings to give the impression that government was addressing these serious issues. Once at least 51 percent of the public is satisfied that something was done, these matters will be swept under a rug and the news media can get back to keeping us focused on the football player's imaginary girlfriend and Beyonce's lip syncing. Then D.C. can get back to collecting massive amounts of money to be distributed in a manner mainly designed to keep the seats of power occupied by their current users.

We are barely into the second term and so far my family's disposable income has taken a serious hit and our health insurance rates have doubled. I didn't want a tax increase and I never wanted government run health care, but both were passed by my elected representatives. Just about everything put together by our Founders was designed to limit government and escape a ruling class. Something is going terribly wrong here folks.

Marc Thomsen

Elk Grove Village