Speak Out 11/13/08

Caring for others

MICHAEL SMITH, 53, homeless, was arrested for illegal burning. Perhaps the police did him a favor. I suspect that the illegal burning had something to do with trying to stay warm. The issue of how Mr. Smith became homeless is not our concern, but if we turn our backs on the Michael Smiths of our community, we sacrifice some of our humanity. It's not Christian to let some unfortunate person freeze in the streets. We can do something about this if we truly care for our fellow man. Thank you, officers, for giving a man who is suffering and has suffered a warm place to rest and a hot meal.

Import tariffs

WHY SHOULD we be worried about industry disappearing in our country? It is two simple words: national defense. How many tanks and guns can McDonald's or Wal-Mart build? Zero. The answer is simple. We need to push our country's import tariffs though the roof and either force the big industrial corporations to come back to America or go out of business. They're either American companies or they're not.

Leave time alone

I DON'T like the time change because I don't think it should be dark by 6 p.m. I prefer leaving the time alone. No wonder people have heart attacks. You need to get your leaves raked or whatever, and it's darker than it needs to be.

Business worries

I'M A business person. Last month 200,000 people lost their jobs. A lot of this is because business people fear increases in taxes and government restrictions. When you threaten them with these high taxes, business people are going to close down their businesses. And unions? Look what happened to unionized employers here. Unions were formed, and the companies moved.

No break for seniors

I DON'T believe one should have a tax cut just by virtue of being a senior citizens. Senior citizens, as a group, are the most well off in American society. None of us likes it when we see those tax bills come through. None of us wants to pay taxes, but it's something that must be done. Senior citizens get enough breaks already.

Theater freedom

REGARDING THE performance of "Sister Mary Ignatius" at the River Campus: I saw the performance. I am a Christian. I agree that the crucifixion skit was way over the top and bordering on offensive. But I hold firm to the theater department's right to present it. They issued a disclaimer warning of adult content and religious satire. This should have been sufficient. Artists are not called to consider the feelings of their audience. They are called to create and express a point of view, regardless of its potential to offend. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest you should expect to see views contrary to your own in the arts, especially if you are Christian. I praise God that we live in a country where people are free to express opinions different from my own. Anything else is censorship and completely un-American.

Love to read

MY TWO children are in a school that uses Accelerated Reader, and I'm so thankful. The oldest is an excellent student and an avid reader. He loves AR because he can read at his own level and isn't bored with the same stories that everyone had to read in the past. My youngest struggles with school but loves reading because he too is able to read and enjoy books at his level. He made a lot of progress last year and is doing well now. The main thing is they both love to read. Somehow this doesn't seem like smoke and mirrors to me. Keep up the good work.