Letter to the Editor

Obama raises serious concerns

What a speech! Those were the words going around the year before the election regarding the speeches by our new president-to-be, Barack Obama. But when asked -- "What did he say? -- the answer was "I don't know, but it was a magnificent speech."

I hope for our country's sake I'm wrong, but I'm having serious concerns about some of the facts that are coming to light. This so-called stimulus package is pork over and over again. It must be reworked.

Obama doesn't have a business background. Now he states, about the economic problems, that profits and bonuses must go. There's a big difference between profits and bonuses. Profits are necessary to remain in business. Excessive bonuses, like we are hearing about, must be controlled. The problem is chief executives hire company boards that set executive bonuses.

The president must insist on honesty and character in the heads of departments he appoints. He has appointed three who admit they failed to pay taxes -- until he appointed them. A leopard doesn't change its spots. I hope this isn't on-the-job training. It's called judgment.

CLIFF F. RUDESILL, Cape Girardeau