Speak Out 10/31/06

National sovereignty

THE CONCEPT of national sovereignty has been around for hundreds of years, but there are some who want to replace it with global sovereignty. In international law, sovereignty is the legitimate exercise of power by a nation. But unless it is enshrined in the hearts, minds and character of its citizens, national sovereignty will disappear.

Holiday havoc

THERE IS a cartoon circulating on the Internet showing a banner across a building that says "Merry Thanksgivoween Sept. 1 to Jan. 1." That's about what has happened, isn't it?

Attacking Fox

AFTER YEARS of blasphemous hypocritical hyperbole, it appears Rush Limbaugh is trying to keep up with President Bush's approval rating by stooping to a new low in his accusatorial attack on Michael J. Fox. What is next? Accusing widows of faking?

Despicable mimicry

RUSH LIMBAUGH sank to a new low on his syndicated talk show Monday, if that is possible, when he mimicked and trivialized Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease. Limbaugh claimed that Fox was acting and off his medication. Granted, Limbaugh is an expert on medication, but he was wrong about the effects of Fox's medication or the lack thereof, according to medical experts. Limbaugh has the right to disagree with Fox's proactive stance on the Missouri initiative for stem-cell research, but to make fun of his condition and to be seen on camera jerking his body to simulate Fox's Parkinson's disease is despicable.

Proving a point

MICHAEL J. Fox acted differently in the pro-stem cell commercial than he ever has in any TV show. He acted differently when he testified before Congress than he ever has in a movie. You can politicize it all you want, but a fact is a fact. Either he was acting, or he purposely didn't take his medications for the purpose of proving his point.

Government schools

WE ARE not sending our kids to public schools. We are sending them to government schools. I attended a public school, one that was influenced by the community as a whole, not by the minority. Today's schools are controlled by the government, managed by minorities and influenced by narrow-minded politicians.

Student loans

DID ANYONE else read the article about the man fired from MOHELA? Did you see how much his severance package was? I just paid off my student loans (of less than $10,000) this week after graduating in 1994. What's wrong with this picture?

Trash the system

DURING THIS political campaign we all have heard everything from the candidates. But one issue none of them has talked about very much is the 50 million-plus working-class Americans without health insurance. This number is growing each day. These are working middle-class people, not the poor, elderly or wealthy. The poor and elderly are at covered by Medicaid or Medicare, and the wealthy have the money to afford a good health plan. It is time this country got a national health-care insurance plan to cover every American. Trash the current health-care system. It is not working and is corrupt.

We pay their taxes

A COMMENT said we should vote to tax Exxon-Mobil more and take away all subsidies, if this were to happen, where do you suppose the big oil companies would get the extra money to pay these extra taxes? You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.

Not that simple

A CENTER guardrail on I-55 would be simple and still allow for emergency vehicles to cross. Leave a 20-foot opening at every mile marker. Make the opening so it would require a 90-degree turn to get through. Simple? Sure, but don't hold your breath, The Missouri Department of Transportation never does anything simple.

A big show

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI State University is spending more big bucks on making cosmetic changes but not a dime on making the living conditions better for students. Take their money and put on a big show: I'm sure that is helping students make better grades.

Compulsive movie

"WHAT AM I doing here?" I asked myself. I was embarrassed to be an elderly person sitting in a sea of youths watching the movie. Though I fought it, I could not resist the impulse to go. It is the third time I have succumbed, first to the original, then to part two and now the third one. I am writing an essay about it. The title will be, "I Fought the Saw, and the Saw Won -- Again."

Still for sale

ACCORDING TO an Internet wit, although there is a slump in the housing market, the U.S. House of Representatives will always be for sale.

Old-time education

I LOVE the rationale that "because I had to go through 12 years of boredom in school," kids should have to do the same today.

Heavy coaching

I WOULD be more likely to respond to a fat physical education coach who told me to drop down and do 50 push-ups or run 15 laps than a rail-thin one who requested the same. I sure as heck wouldn't want the former to sit on me.

Political language

THE WORD "precriminations" has been coined to refer to those who start assessing the blame even before a disastrous event transpires. Usually, the blame game begins after the event and the appropriate word is "recriminations." However, precriminations have already begun among Republicans.

Roving band

REGARDING THE comment that Brad Paisley's band members were all from Missouri: Even though he introduced them being from Missouri, they were not. I checked, because I thought it was unusual. I was correct. When Brad was in Texas, his whole band was from Texas. When he was in North Carolina, the band was from North Carolina. The same for Tennessee and wherever else he has been. Performers say their bands are from wherever they are performing to get the audience more excited and into the show. It looks like it worked.

No school choices

GOVERNMENT EDUCATION is an artificial environment that teaches confusion, class position and dependency. Even if students manage to become interested in something, the bell rings and they must change gears over and over throughout the day. This lesson of bells is that no work is worth finishing, so why care too deeply about anything? Young people recognize school as a fake environment they are forced to be in. Schools are not real life, because in real life, everyone has choices.

Empty promises

I STRONGLY disagree with Rudi Keller's opinion about Amendment 3. I am a smoker and pay for my own health-care costs. I do not think I should pay more taxes on cigarettes to support Medicaid. Maybe our politician's should take a cut in their salaries and retirement packages to fund Medicaid. They are the ones who made the cuts to begin with. Remember, the lottery was supposed to go to our schools, too, but it hasn't. Keller is a fool to think increasing the cigarette tax will go to health care or curbing teen smoking.