Speak Out 11/04/03

PARENTS ACROSS America, you love your children, so help them to counteract the destructive tactics that the liberal enemies within our country are blatantly and insidiously indoctrinating our young people. Wake up, parents, and save your children before it's too late. These conniving leaders are in a desperate struggle to take over America and are using destructive tactics on our country. Don't allow them to conquer your children.

Need all the facts

CHILD SUPPORT is very difficult to collect, and the state's doing a very poor job of collecting and distributing the money. My granddaughter's father is thousands of dollars behind in child support. I am retired and have to help subsidize her needs. If you depend on this income, how would you have any extra money to put aside for a college fund? I think people are making comments before they have all the facts.

Be grateful

THIS IS in response to the article on the skateboarding park. I have several children, and all of them have played soccer, baseball and football. We've always been grateful for what the city provided. We've also paid for those things, not only with our tax dollars but through fees to participate in leagues. It really shocked and saddened me to read the comments about how this park isn't good enough. Perhaps those who are complaining might want to be thankful for what the city provided. Such an attitude is a slap in the face to the people who donated money and to those of us who pay taxes that will maintain the new park.

Focus on big issues

I CAN'T believe our president has time to go to Paducah and get involved in Kentucky politics while a big hunk of California is burning and our troops being picked off over there in Iraq. I think his attention should be focused on those two things right now. The Army could be a help in handling a lot of those fires in California.

They'll find them

I UNDERSTAND the White House is having trouble finding Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. I have the perfect solution. All they have to do is call the Missouri Department of Child Support and Enforcement. They'll find them within a month.

Experts at raising money

AS A superintendent attending the hearing the other day at the Show Me Center on public education, I found the perfect answer to raise money for education. If the legislators who sit on the panel would take as much time raising money for public education as they do for raising money for their campaigns, I think we'd have plenty of money for education in this state. I think they're the ones who ought to be raising the money. They're the experts.

Blame the news

IF YOU really want to get down to the root of this so-called recession, blame the news media. After 9-11, the media kept talking all the time about how bad things were until they finally convinced people this was true. If the news media had kept their mouths shut and just reported facts, we would not be in this slowdown.

A real turnaround

I HAD to laugh at the headline in the Oct. 31, paper: "Economy surges at best rate in decades." President Bush has had a challenge from the get-go because of Sept. 11, 2001, and the mess he inherited from Bill Clinton. He kept saying, "Be patient, things will turn around." Who are Democrats going to complain about now?

Can't tip? Don't eat

I JUST wonder if these people who are complaining about tipping at restaurants don't realize that if the owners had to pay the wait staff a fair wage, the price of meals would drastically increase. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out. Most of the waiters and bartenders are college students who are paying their way through school. Maybe it isn't a real job to some people, but when it's all you have the ability to do, it is a real job.

Thanks for the dog

ON OCT. 30, there was a girl who found my dog at Food Giant and brought the dog to me. I was so ecstatic and was grateful to have the dog back because we didn't know she had gotten away in the first place. I didn't get a chance to really thank or reward the girl. If you see this, please stop by so I can thank you again.

Great school papers

TODAY MY son brought home the Tiger Times newspaper. I couldn't be more impressed. My older son brings home the high school paper. Both are great. The writing is excellent, and they are about the same number of pages. What a great job everyone is doing. I hope everyone gets to see the Central Junior High School newspaper. Thanks to everyone who is involved.

A funny movie

ROGER EBERT needs to lighten up. There's a reason "Scary Movie 3" was No. 1 and probably will be again. Who cares if it's a parody or satire? You go to see it to have a good time. If one is going to get upset about things in the film, I would think making fun of Mother Teresa in the year she's considered for sainthood was in poor taste. The sexuality bothers me. I don't think there needs to be references to porn and Jenny McCarthy and Pamela Anderson, I can live without these trash queens. But I enjoyed the references to the movies I had seen this year such as "8 Mile," which is not the remarkable movie that Ebert seems to think it is -- unless mother bashing is a good quality these days. I enjoyed seeing scenes from movies I had seen in the past such as "Signs" and "The Ring." I have to admit there were some good laughs in it, and that's what made it No. 1.

Become a pauper

IN ADDITION to durable power of attorney and living will, the best way to ensure hospitals, doctors and lawyers do not strip you of your life savings at death is to manage your financial affairs as to become a pauper. They'll let you die in peace then and will be more than willing to obey your wishes in your living will.

Don't give up

YOU GO, Tigers. You're fighting a good fight. Don't give up.