Speak out 1/15/13

Park lights

We recently drove through the Cape Girardeau County Park lights tour and enjoyed the Christmas lights and displays. It was awesome, gets better every year. God bless everyone who put something up.

School monitors

I am 85. Many years ago in high school in St. Louis we had football players at every door and called them monitors. You would not go in or out without clearance. That was all day at school, and I felt safe.

Moral decay

Shootings are the results of a society that teaches anything is OK and we no longer believe in right and wrong. Liberals never let a crisis go to waste. Therefore, ban the guns and let the shooters have defenseless victims. We have to be able to defend ourselves. Socialism destroys morals, ethics and the financial foundation of a society and then it becomes a police state. Either we stand for freedom or we will lose it.

Violent games

Are we still thinking violent video games and movies don't affect our children in a negative way? Think again.

Background checks

Once again, the far right is out of touch with the American people and their rapidly evolving views in favor of some sensible gun control legislation, such as universal background checks. People like Rush Limbaugh are fast tracking the crack-up of the Republican Party, probably intentionally.

Paper bias

The Southeast Missourian's bias is often very clear, but some reporters really need to remember that they are reporters, not editorialists. Erin Ragan frequently lets her bias show. Perhaps she thinks she's being cute or she's trying to write an attention-grabbing opening, but she continually takes cheap shots or makes little digs. Her latest target is a man I didn't vote for, but her opening lines were ridiculous: "Did you think he was done? It's politics, so Jason Crowell can't just sit on the sidelines. Only a few hours had passed ..." Ragan needs to learn at least some modicum of professionalism.

Tax increase

I just got my first paycheck of the new year. Thank you, Mr. Obama, for your lies that there would be no tax increase for the middle class. I am very middle class, and let me tell you, we have been socked with an increase. You may say, oh, you won't ever miss that. Well, yes, I will, because everything else has gone through the roof since he got in, including gas, which has doubled. And health care has exploded.