It's not just a gun problem

To the Editor:
I'm a gun owner, I believe that guns should be registered, as are automobiles, and that at a minimum, gun owners should demonstrate a basic level of gun proficiency to own firearms. I also believe parents should be charged as accomplices to the crimes that their children commit with guns that the parents have not properly secured. This alone would go a long way in reducing gun violence by minors.
That said, I don't believe guns are the sole problem. The root of gun violence is the massive NRA marketing engine that purchases the votes of the representatives that should be on the people's payroll. Sadly, this is not a problem specific to the gun industry. The American political system has refined the concepts of paybacks, graft,and bribery into a finely crafted lobbying industry, whose sole purpose is to buy the votes of our representatives for the benefit of organizations and corporations whose aims are frequently at odds with the voters.
Depending on the poll, at least 80 percent of Americans, including gun owners, are in favor of universal background checks. Based on these statistics you would expect our representatives to work in the obvious direction of increasing background checks and enhanced gun control. In reality the only gun law that was passed, and signed by the president last February, has a single purpose, to make it easier for the mentally ill to purchase guns.
Yet this is hardly the only example of "pay to play" on a national level. Look at the recent tax bill, will you be seeing millions of dollars back next time you do your taxes? You might see a couple of hundred dollars, or maybe even a thousand, whoopee! The big business boys will see billions and will methodically distribute much of that plunder to ensure our legislators keep the money taps open while draining our coffers!
What about here in PA, is it proper that companies fracking for gas, and polluting our air and waterways, get away with single per well fee instead of a severance tax based on what's actually pulled out of the ground? And don't even look into Infrastructure, the Military Industrial Complex or Big Pharma, unless you have a strong stomach! The bribes and kickbacks given our legislators under the guise of campaign contributions clearly show who really runs this country? Hint...it's not you, or me!
Dario A. Boronat
Shohola, Pa.