Speak Out 1/17/14

School closing

I thought I was being pranked when the automated call announced school closure on Friday, Jan. 10, at Jackson, Mo., after having been opened the day before. What upsets me is that this is just another indication of either the softening of our society or another example of catering to the minority of people with policy that affects all. People need to deal better with adversity and prepare to deal with it, not roll over to it. What does this teach our children? Additionally, if conditions were indeed a little slick for some, then stay home. Don't let a small minority of people affect the majority of the populace.

Obama apology

I think President Obama ought to apologize to all the college students who voted for him. Because of this health care, nobody's going to be hiring because they don't want to pay for health care. He owes you all an apology, because here you're going to college for four to six years and you're not even going to be able to get a job because of President Obama. Just remember that.

Christie, press

First of all, I'm a Democrat, a big Democrat. And two, I don't like Christie and New Jersey. But the man said he was innocent of the things on the George Washington Bridge and, I don't know, he may have been. In fact, really, I think he's not the kind to stage stuff like this. I could be wrong. But it is wrong for the newspapers and all the talk shows, the press, to be blaming the guy or even suspect that he is guilty. This is what's wrong with the press. And this is why a lot of people are mad at the press and don't trust the press. It isn't right to accuse somebody, unless you have an iota of proof that he did it.

Climate change

The Southeast Missourian and Speak Out callers just don't get it. Al Gore showed pictures of the ice cap melting, the polar cap, which it is melting. It's a great concern to scientists. We are in, not global warming, but climate change, which means that we will have more severe storms and more extremes of weather, which we surely have. Surely we can get some accuracy out there in the news.

Schools and games

I was just thinking how can schools be closed for bad weather and still play ball games? Are the roads better at night?

Unemployment

I'd like to comment on Congress voting to extend the unemployment funding for people who have been out of jobs for a long time. I know of two people who haven't worked in probably two or three years who just keep drawing unemployment because they don't want to work. They can make more on unemployment. Therefore, they just stay on unemployment and draw it as long as they can. They don't want to work. Why do we put up with stuff like this? They should have to take a job and work, just like everyone else.

Weather source

I was calling about the comment in Speak Out that I read the other day about where all this cold weather was coming from. I just wanted to say it comes from the good Lord above. He's the one that created the heavens and the earth and has control of the weather.

Double dip

I would like to make a comment about the article where the New York Police Department and fire department were all getting disability checks and doing other jobs. That shouldn't be a surprise. That goes on right here in Cape Girardeau. I know a guy that's on disability, and he has a lawn care business, but he won't tell the disability agency about it.

Debt issue

During the time period when the United States was going horribly into debt and overspending all of our money, the country of Norway was actually running a surplus, and they were buying stocks on the worldwide stock market with their surpluses. That country now has so much money in the stock market that they have over a million Norwegian dollars per person in the stock market. They've made huge gains in the stocks and they're way ahead. And the United States is way in debt. It's time for us to get out of debt.