A PRE-BIRTH baby didn't choose to be conceived. The baby's parents chose. The baby shouldn't have to pay with his/her life for the convenience of the parents. Some say the unborn baby is not a viable life and cannot sustain itself. How old were you before you could sustain your own life and pay for food and lodging? If someone had killed you before you were mature enough to make your own choices, would that be abortion or murder? God gave us free will. Who are we to take away the unborn baby's God-given free will?
CONGRATULATIONS TO the Saxony Lutheran High School band and choir for a wonderful performance on Wednesday night. You should all be proud of how far you've come. Keep up the hard work.
GOD GAVE us a choice, but he also gave murderers and rapists freedom of choice. Abortion is murder too. How can so many people wonder why bad things happen to good people when they all choose to do stupid things?
PEOPLE WHO live in brushy areas near San Diego should build fire-resistant houses. But what about us? We live in an earthquake zone and changing temperatures. Are there any suggestions about how houses and small buildings should be built here? We need houses that are earthquake-resistant and energy-efficient.
A HUGE thank you to Cape First and the recent girls' night out with Michelle McKinney Hammond. Praise God, and may he bless everyone who was involved.
I AGREE that socialization of students is an important function of schools, along with many others such as democratic factors and preparing students for lives beyond public education. But the true purpose always has been academics. What the teachers are struggling with is a balance between socialization and academics. Students unwilling to participate in the academic arena are having a negative impact on those who are there to do well.
THE GHOST-hunting class was a great offering. It was for two weekends and was designed to be enjoyed by those interested. It is a community offering by Southeast Missouri State University, not a semester college course. Students paid for the class, which covered the cost. Thank you, Southeast, for offering this in the community.
I'VE SEEN an alarming number of people neglecting to get out of the way of an emergency response team. Would you want someone to get in the way of a first responder or firetruck or ambulance if you needed one?
NOTHING PRESIDENT Bush has done in vetoing the ridiculous SCHIP funding bill proposed by Congress will cause the program to go away. He has asked for a 20 percent increase in funding for the program. The bill was vetoed because of its ridiculous level of coverage and the income level of those who would be eligible. It was nothing more than a way to get millions more on the dole and make them dependent on the government. SCHIP will continue. I do not think families with incomes in excess of $85,000 and children age 25 should be eligible unless something catastrophic happens. That's so obviously a political ploy to buy votes. It's scary that so many people buy into the idea.
IF THOSE who complain about our teachers would spend a day in their classroom they could see the real problem. The students are not taught respect at home and are constantly disruptive. I have spent several days assisting in an elementary classroom and am amazed that the teacher has to spend so much time trying to get the students to pay attention. If you think a teacher's job is easy, try it.
WITH ALL of the terrible pictures of houses burning in California, it is time to think about rebuilding houses with shake-shingle roofs. When you live in a fire zone, it would be much better to build houses with concrete walls and a concrete roof. You can have very pleasing architectural details and design without exposing the house to fire.
I WILL get a paltry 3.1 percent increase in my salary this year. By the time the deductions for Social Security and Medicare come out of my pay, my increase will amount to only about 2.8 percent. I too am on a fixed income and still have children at home to care for. In order for me to get a real raise, company profits have to allow the expenditure. Our company is keeping its head up, but it's not a multimillion-dollar corporation.
I LOVE trickle-down economics. I'd like to have a second drop. Maybe I could afford health insurance for my child.
I DON'T see why everyone has such a problem with universal health care. A large percentage of America receives Medicaid, plus the federal government gives money to rural health clinics to offer services at a discounted rate. If the money from both of these programs were put together, we could have coverage for everyone. I figure if my tax money is already being spent on these programs, why can't I have a piece of it?
BEING SEVERELY disabled, for the last few years I have lived on $624 a month, receiving $100 in food stamps and Medicaid, paying rent and utilities, and driving a 16-year-old car. I consider myself poor but fortunate. Surely the mother and son on the front page of Friday's paper have enough income to live better if they really wanted to do so. This woman owns property. To say that people cannot let go of their property because it is a part of who they are is unrealistic when one balances that against living as they do, in campers without running water or a sewage system.
WHAT DIFFERENCE does a teacher being out a few days make to a student's public education? I don't think a substitute (good or bad) can keep a student from making good grades or be the cause of a student making bad grades. I can't believe this is even an issue.
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