Dear Friends:

I know that many of you have already heard the sad news that our dear friend, Matt H. Smith passed away on Sat. May 7th at 89 years young. His memorial service will be at 11 a.m. today (Sat. May 13th) at the First United Methodist Church.

In the last letter I was able to access online, written ironically on my birthday this year, Matt wrote (oh well I will just let him say it):

This will turn your crank. Our president who is in charge of the world’s largest economy, the richest nation in the world and by far the largest and most effective military gets paid less than $500.000 a year.

He does not get to set his own pay like the executives of corporations. They have the power to legally steal exorbitant salaries and bonuses. They steal from the stockholders, research and development and employees compensation even while doing an inferior job. Remember when Wal-Mart got caught showing its employees how to get welfare from the government. The fat cats keep putting out propaganda that we are broke while they suck up every penny and scream for more.

We the people are losing our battles to the fat cats. The appointment of a president by the Supreme Court. Absolutely unconstitutional. Making corporations living breathing human beings with the right to donate unlimited amounts of money for political purposes totally phony. Now the projected cash requirement to run for president, $1 billion. You know how crooked you have to be to get that much money. We need a new way to finance elections. All this carping about socialism when it is a part of any decent democracy. We have socialism when we finance public schools, police, legal departments, military, laws to protect the public, welfare for the indigent, collect taxes and emergency help. Especially a great tool when President Obama baled out GM, Chrysler and the financial industry saving thousands of jobs and avoided a deep depression.

The fat cats should remember the words of God when he said, “from those that much has been given, much is expected.”

MATT SMITH

Twin Falls

You can access his great letters by going to the Times News website and searching for Matt Smith on little doohickey on the tool bar that says search. I think that Matt would be pleased to think of everyone reading his letters…finally.

Now you can narrow the search by date. If you know what I mean, do and if you don’t and don’t worry about it ‘cause it won’t matter. Don’t just try Google, ‘cause there a lot of Matt Smiths out there, but only one like ours. I know there was a really recent letter that I couldn’t access.

So, I got thinking about how much I was going to miss opening the paper and reading a letter from Matt Smith or commissariating about politics or just seeing him around.  If you are reading this and you didn’t know Matt Smith, well I am sorry for you. You missed out. If you know Matt, you will probably both laugh and cry at little bit. And if you don’t like all the Democrat stuff…well, just go sit with the fat cats.

Go with God, dear friend. I know that you are in a better place where there is no darkness at all and no pain, but we miss you so!

To God, you got a good one and I bet he’ll make you laugh too,

God Bless all,

Dixie Siegel