The front page article on ACORN and The Herald-Sun's editorial chastising the Republicans as "far-right fringe" in their opposition to ACORN failed to illuminate the truth about ACORN and Obama's ties.
ACORN touted "affirmative-action" lending and pressured banks to make sub-prime loans. Madeline Talbott, a Chicago ACORN leader, claims they "dragged banks kicking and screaming" into dubious loans. ACORN used "direct action" agitation tactics such as protests in bank lobbies and drive-thru lanes to get them to make bad loans or face charges of racism.
Talbott hired Obama to train her staff in agitation tactics. Obama trained the people who descended on banks like Bell Federal and Avondale Federal to intimidate them into making these loans. Obama also represented ACORN in the 1995 regulatory revision that expanded the Community Reinvestment Act and helped spawn the current financial crisis.
Again, Obama represented ACORN in a 1994 lawsuit against Illinois, forcing "motor-voter" or no-identification registration. ACORN has received over $50 million of your tax money for "non-partisan" community service. Yet it claims to have delivered more than 15 million votes in the 2008 presidential election, about 5 million more than Obama won by.
Was the election bought by our tax dollars? Did they purchased the largest fraud ever on the American people, putting the very one responsible for the meltdown in charge of the rescue?
When 83 percent of the House voted cut off ACORN's funding, David Price voted to continue it. Remember this at election.
MARK BONNER
Durham
Save more lives
Thank you for your excellent editorial acknowledging the continuing trend in declining worldwide child mortality rates, and the call for government and civil society in wealthier nations to increase child survival efforts even more ("Saving infants' lives," Sept. 11).
Within the next 24 hours, more than 24,000 children under 5 years old will die, mainly of preventable, treatable disease and malnutrition, and primarily in the poorest countries of the world. In these countries, a handful of change would pay for several simple life-saving interventions -- a measles vaccine, oral rehydration salts to combat diarrhea, soap, Vitamin A drops and nutrient-rich food.
Studies have shown that 84 percent of Americans support increased funding to reduce the top preventable causes of death among children. Herald-Sun readers who are among that large majority can make a difference right now by urging our members of Congress to vigorously support foreign aid funding, programs and legislation that will bring that appalling number of preventable daily deaths much closer to zero.
HEATHER STEIN
Chapel Hill
