LETTERS: HARDEST JOB OF ALL IS GOOD PARENTING

To the editor:

For a couple of weeks now I have been keeping up with the letters section and Speak Out column of your newspaper. I have finally reached the point that I would like to say something.

It was with a tongue-in-cheek grin that I read in Speak Out about the wife whose husband works for a heating and cooling company. She felt he works harder than the linemen did during the May 17 storm.

I do not wish to argue who works harder, but I am a lineman for AmerenUE and am extremely proud of the work I do. In defense of the workers concerning the storm, they were not equipped to handle such widespread damage. Our company has downsized through attrition and layoffs and was in no way able to supply the manpower needed to repair the damage in an expedient manner.

Yes, it is true, we did get paid well for the job we did that week, but most of us went on five or six hours of sleep, usually from 6 a.m. until noon, working 18 hours for five days straight. I went to work on Monday morning at 8 o'clock and did not see my family until Saturday morning. It was not until additional crews were called in from other areas did we feel like we were able to get a hold on the situation.

Please don't think for a minute that we didn't want to get the lights back on sooner. When there are more than 50 line crews working in the same district -- crews who are unfamiliar with the territory and each other -- safety is definitely the workers' No. 1 concern. Unfortunately, sometimes it does take a little longer because of our safety checks, but they are easily worth the cost of a life.

Now, having that said, I would like to comment on the toughest job in the world. I don't understand how any parent can think that there is a harder job in the world than raising a family. With such horrific events that have shaped our world in the past couple of years, it makes me scared for the youths of tomorrow.

I have three young children, two sons ages 5 and 2 and a daughter age 4. They truly are the toughest aspect of my life. The struggle to teach them right from wrong, to discipline without harm, and to try and give them the best that you possibly can seems almost impossible at times. Yet a greater joy I have not known. I am reminded of the Peace Corps slogan: "The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love."I hope that this letter will possibly help people to stop and think about what is really important in today's world. It is not who works harder, longer or makes more money, but more so about who we are in the eyes of our children.

Thank you for the time and consideration you have given me. I think freedom of speech is greatly underappreciated.

MARK BAKER, Journeyman Lineman

IBEW Local 702

West Frankfort, Ill.