OpinionOctober 18, 2007
Speak Out 10/18/07
A Christian thing; Other programs too?; Migrant farm hands; Internet taxation; It's commercial; Saving their sanity; Paying for sinkholes; Band wins again; Feel the draft?; Taxing coverage
A Christian thing
I CAN'T believe Cape Girardeau's planning and zoning commissioners are trying to shut down the grocery program at Christ Church of the Heartland. This is one of the most Christian things I have ever seen a church do. It is helping people who need help. I am not only talking about the people who get welfare, but also the older people who are trying to live on $500 a month. I am talking about minimum-wage people with children who are barely getting by. This program was a godsend to them. Mr. Cook, Mr. Smallwood, Mr. Rediger and Mr. Maxton: You don't know what it is like to be on a small fixed income or a small working income and still have a week before the next check and have no food in the house.
Other programs too?
THE CHRIST Church of the Heartland food program is a good program and is helping many people who need it. What's the big deal about traffic on Bertling Street for a few hours once a month? The people who are picking up food aren't harming anyone. If the city council shuts down this program, is it going to shut down programs at other churches? What about chili suppers, potluck dinners, bingo, raffles and garage sales? Are these programs going to be illegal?
Migrant farm hands
I'VE READ a lot lately about how restricting access for farmers to low-wage manual labor will wreck farming operations. Our farmer has used migrant workers for the past few years. They enable him to farm more land and make more money. If he was not able to farm as much land due to lack of migrant help, the land would not sit idle. It would be farmed by someone else. If farmers can't farm without illegal migrants, then they should leave farming to the savvy operators who are making it work legally.
Internet taxation
IT SHOULD not be the taxpayers' responsibility to pay for the expansion of high-speed Internet in rural communities. We have all waited for the access to high-speed and have not suffered too greatly for that waiting. Expansion of these services should be up to private companies. Write your lawmakers? Don't waste your time. The responses to my letters requesting them to vote against Internet taxation by the federal government were responded to with form letters indicating we "need" those additional taxes to expand Internet access. We already pay too much of our incomes for taxes of one sort or the other. I have determined to never again vote for any politician who advocates new or higher taxation for any reason.
It's commercial
I WISH everyone supporting the Angel Food Ministries at Christ Church of the Heartland would realize that this battle isn't about helping the poor. The battle is over what the church is doing in a residential area. I don't think this activity should continue even with a special-use permit. It is indeed a commercial venture. Let's call it what it is and see how we can make it work for the needy, not the greedy.
Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!
Saving their sanity
SMALL CITIES and communities are better off without broadband and high-speed Internet access. As proof, their citizens have maintained their sanity.
Paying for sinkholes
THERE ARE sinkholes developing near the Buzzi Unicem plant, and the city is trying to figure out how to fund repairs. I am no geologist, but the sinkhole problem has to come from that big hole Marquette/Lonestar/Buzzi Unicem have been digging down the street for years. Why should anyone except them be responsible for repairing this?
Band wins again
THEY DID it again. The Central High School Marching Tiger Band won first place at the Potosi Bi-State Marching Contest on Saturday. This shows is the result of teamwork and hard-working, talented instructors. Congratulations to the band students, teachers and parents.
Feel the draft?
WHILE WE argue about traffic lanes in Jackson and zoning requirements and extending the school day in Cape Girardeau, Russia's Vladimir Putin is amassing power to such an alarming degree that it is not crazy to say that the Cold War is back.
Taxing coverage
REGARDING SCHIP, health insurance for children whose families do not qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance: Before the "it's-for-the-children" syndrome squeezes your heart, read what this program would do. Among other things, qualifying family income is proposed at $85,000 and would include coverage for "children" up to 25 years old. Most families with that kind of income probably can and do pay for health insurance. This program gives them a nice option of dropping their insurance in lieu of taxpayer SCHIP. Additionally, major funding would come from excessively higher tobacco sales taxes, which would eventually decline drastically as smokers quit, cut back or start rolling their own cigarettes again. When that happens, you will see a mad scramble for higher taxation on other things that may affect us all.
Story Tags
Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:
For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.
Related
OpinionDec. 12
Advertisement
Receive Daily Headlines FREESign up today!
