Letter to the editor: Jan. 6 commission symptom of bloated government

It has been said, “When the government fears the people, there is liberty, but when the people fear the government, there’s tyranny.” Today, we are ruled by an elite group who have weaponized the federal government to serve their self-interest. We talk of “insurrection” on Jan. 6 but ignore that the FBI and Capitol Police failed to prevent it. Ray Epps, confirmed on video (and in his personal texts) his participation and “orchestration” of the Capitol attack, but was never charged. Moreover, the Jan. 6 commission was illegitimate as its selected makeup did not follow congressional rules.

The commission’s final report fails to mention Epps’ involvement or the decision not to activate additional police protection. Indeed, there is video of the police directing protesters into the Capitol. However, this “commission” is only a symptom of a bloated and corrupt government.

Why, in 200 years of elections, were we able to select leaders by paper ballots, but now it takes weeks to “determine” the winner? Why did we demand vaccinations for citizens but not those illegally entering our country? Why is using preferred pronouns a basis for maintaining proper armed forces? Why spend billions securing Ukraine’s border but turn a blind eye to our border overrun by drugs and sex trafficking? Why did the FBI collude with the opposition party to spy on a presidential candidate and use Twitter to quash conservative speech? These are legitimate questions for a “woke” government to answer.

As Thomas Jefferson said, “A well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.”

Richard Lafferty

Buffalo Township