Speak Out 10/26/05

Moral decay

I WOULD like to dispute the allegations of liberals bringing down the moral code of Southeast Missouri. It is not the liberals who are responsible for the tailspin of ethical conduct. Let's stop pointing fingers and start accepting our shortfalls, whether liberal or conservative. Welcome to the modern times. Everyone is responsible for the decay of moral decency.

Pension cuts

CUTTING PENSIONERS' benefits may be good for a company, but it isn't good for those pensioners who thought they had a good retirement income promised. My father retired from the steel industry and thought my mother would be well taken care of when he died. Although he died believing that, reality was different. Instead of getting half of his retirement, she received less then $100 with insurance deducted from that. I believe I should have a right to decide where my Social Security tax should be invested so that at my retirement and the death of my spouse, I don't have to depend upon my children to survive.

Source of suffering

A READER recently challenged those who believed in intelligent design to explain why there is starvation and war in a world created by an intelligent designer. Have you ever known a family with great parents but horrible kids? How about a great marriage destroyed by the selfishness of a spouse? How can this happen? People are created with a free will. We can choose to follow the Lord or reject him. Our rebellion against the Creator, called sin, is the root source of the suffering and misery in the world. Read Genesis chapters 2 and 3. Starvation and war are primarily the byproducts of the greed of a few. This world is not a perfect place anymore, but don't lay the blame at the wrong doorstep.

Hold that smoke

IN REGARD to you folks who enjoy burning leaves: Go ahead and enjoy, but keep the smoke on your side of the fence.

Generality blindness

REPUBLICAN stalwart, author and media maven David Brooks has accurately stated that it is impossible to define and differentiate between a conservative and a liberal. Rush Limbaugh's lame attempt to define conservatism (published in the Southeast Missourian) left me sightless for days because of his use of so many blinding-because-they-were-so-glittering generalities.

Health hazard

THE CALLER who suggested limiting the number of days to burn had a good idea, but he should have stopped there. Comparing smoking meat to the open burning of leaves is silly. The amount of airborne particulates is nowhere near the same. To those with breathing problems, this 30-minute thrill is a serious health hazard.

Dangerous smoke

WHY DOES anyone feel the need to burn leaves if the leaf pickup truck goes down the street so many times? As for restricting the days for burning, most burners don't seem to pay any attention to the rules already in place. Otherwise we wouldn't see so many illegal burn reports in the newspaper. Making burning illegal is an infringement on homeowners' rights? I am a homeowner, and I resent those who burn putting my home at risk. Stay inside every time someone decides to burn? That would make the rest of us prisoners in our own homes. No matter how tight our doors and windows are, smoke seeps inside. I am tired of coughing so hard I can hardly hear the dialogue on the TV. There is absolutely no reason to burn with all the leaf pickup service we have. Have some consideration for those of us who have lung problems. This is not a rural area. It is a populated city, and smoke affects too many people.

Antiques, not boxing

WHY CAN'T we get "Antique Road Show" in Cape Girardeau instead of boxing and fighting?