Speak Out 10/23/04

Early voting confusion

I AM so confused. What's up with early voting? I always thought that the nation voted as a whole on Election Day, and that candidates could not campaign during the voting time. They are still campaigning during early voting. What's the use of having an Election Day if a big chunk of the country can stop and vote anytime in the next two weeks when it's handy? What happens if something relevant comes up next week? Can all those people change votes?

Tough love

I AGREE that many parents are trying to bail their students out at the wrong time. If your children have honestly done nothing wrong, then they should have their parents stand up for them. However, it is sending the wrong message to the child if the parent is continuously standing up for him when he makes a poor choice. I am a teacher who watched a parent take his child on a trip because he was suspended for a few days. That tells the student that he is being rewarded for bad behavior. Children today are having a hard time understanding what consequences are. Your children will learn how to get up when they are down. Parents have to be strong enough to step back and let them take the fall. Your child will learn from this experience and will grow up to be a confident and independent adult.

Just a tax savings

IN RESPONSE to the "Burdensome lives" comment: As I understand your argument, if we vote pro-life, then a majority of the 1.4 million unwanted children will wind up on welfare, foster homes and judicial system, and taxpayers must be prepared to fund these programs. I thought we were funding these programs now. Because they are unwanted, it is OK to kill them? How about we stop funding nursing homes? You and I both need to be thankful our parents were pro-life.

Potential adoptions

SOME MAY think unwanted children who aren't aborted end up on welfare and in foster care. Although this may be true for some kids, I know there are many people who are not able to have children who would love to adopt. I think incentives need to be offered to parents considering to adopt. Maybe more would choose this option. People are concerned about freedom for parents to chose abortion, but what about the child's freedom to live?

Vote for what's best

I'M NOT an atheist or even close, but I'm beginning to worry about the effort by organized religions to control the voting policies in this country. Just because a candidate declares he is pro-life doesn't make him fit to serve. Vote pro-America and base your decisions on what's best for all aspects of this country.

Hard to get in

AFTER FIGHTING the stairs, the curbs and numerous other obstacles at the Show Me Center trying to get into the Women's Show with a stroller, I feel sorry for anyone with a handicap who has to maneuver into that building. What a disgrace that a state building doesn't have sloped curbs for access at the front doors. And why isn't there a sloped ramp from the parking lots?

Lost value

A DOLLAR or a baby. As always, someone has chosen less taxes by killing unwanted children. Believe it or not, the value you have placed on that child is the value of your own life. Other countries have determined that severely handicap children can be killed. Now that you have no value, it's no wonder people walk up to strangers on the street and kill for no reason. After all, you aren't worth anything anyway.

Loose credit

HOW CAN our economy improve when merchants will allow a teenager with no job or a minimum-wage job to obtain a credit account? Cell-phone companies will allow them to purchase phones when they could not pay for the first one or two they have already had turned off. When they cannot pay, their account is turned over to a collection agency. It ends up on their credit history. When they really deserve and can afford it, they will not be able to get credit. We are a selfish and money-hungry world.