Speak Out 11/6/09

Pure greed

SHAME on Cape Girardeau County officials for voting themselves a raise. I consider this nothing but pure greed. I do not believe they would be so dissatisfied their current salaries that they would look elsewhere. How could they even find a job elsewhere paying that amount of money?

Use your blinkers

IS using a blinker really that much trouble? Informing others where you are headed might make everyone's life a little bit easier and safer.

Profound words

I am visiting here from Orlando, Fla., but I am so glad I caught the article "Freedom and forgiveness." My sister gets the Southeast Missourian, and I sat at the kitchen table weeping at Josh Kezer's powerful message. The article was about a young man who spent 15 years of his life in prison for a murder he did not commit. A lawyer through pro bono work proved his innocence. But it was the last line Josh said that touched me, "The only true closure you can have is when you forgive," he said. "You strip the tragedy of all of its power. If you want to know how I can stand before you today. It's because of that." Thanks, Josh, for those profound words that I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life.

Greedy for treats

ON Halloween I had a woman come to the door with her children carrying a bushel basket full of candy and a pillowcase with candy in it. She had four children and asked for more candy for the ones in the car who couldn't get out. That is greed. Nobody needs that much candy. Also, teenagers coming to the door without costumes carrying a bag. Some didn't even say "trick or treat." If they are too lazy to dress up next year, I will be too lazy to buy candy to hand out.

Bank protection

AS a bank teller, I am shocked by the number of customers who get upset when I ask for identification. My job requires me to verify ID over a certain dollar amount if a person is not well known to me. I have had many customers yell, complain and even insult me for doing my job and protecting them. If someone took my debit card or checkbook to the bank, I would hope someone would prevent that person from accessing my money. Please thank the next person who asks for your ID for protecting you.

Admit the mistake

WHEN will my fellow liberals admit we made a mistake in voting for Barack Obama and supporting this mess in Congress? We cannot turn a blind eye to the injustices being committed by this president and our congressional leadership. We cannot allow this president to get away with things for which we chastised the previous president. We must end the Iraq war, end rendition, end domestic spying, close Gitmo and spend that money on entitlement programs for our citizens.

On the money

DON Greenwood's cartoon about the health care industry is right on. That parasitic industry is presently spending $2 million a week to propagate falsehoods and keep insurance costs artificially high enough that millions of working Americans can't afford it. This situation gets worse every year. According to national polls, the American people are overwhelming in favor of affordable universal care.

Working together

I keep reading complaints from teachers about the lack of discipline in their students. The blame is squarely put on the parents. Yet when I discipline my child, the school teaches them the opposite. The school is supposed to work with the parents, but they do not. Their touted online resources for homework and other assignments are never up-to- date. The dances that they put on have music with lyrics condoning sex and bad behavior. What do they expect?

County pay raises

IF I was given the opportunity to give myself a raise as a government official, I also would decline to vote for the raise. I believe most upstanding citizens who realize the state of our economy would do the same thing. The county elected officials who are making an excessive amount of money anyway should have included in the vote to give underpaid county employees a raise and declined to give themselves a raise that is not deserved. I know we all think our job is more important than anyone else's, but the commissioners are greatly overpaid as it is for what they do. I think the majority your readers would agree with me.