Speak Out 12/19/12

Generous lady

I wanted to take a moment to thank a stranger who knocked on my window in Fred's parking lot. Earlier that day my husband came home talking about how his place of employment was adopting a family for Christmas. He handed me a list of things they were needing and asked if we could help in any way or even donate $10 toward making their Christmas a little brighter. I told him I would have to see what we had left after I paid bills and bought essentials our household needed. Later that day I went to Fred's to buy a few household things we needed, and when I was leaving a lady came and knocked on my window. She handed me $10 and told me that something, maybe even God, had told her that I needed that $10. Tears came to my eyes. I knew then that my family was meant to help this family in need, and I immediately took that money to my husband's work to put in the pot toward helping that other family. I just wanted to let that lady know that the money she gave me went toward helping a needy family this Christmas.

Madrigal feast

After living here a bit over seven years, I attended the Madrigal Feast, presented by the Jackson High School Choral Department, for the very first time. Believe me, it was a feast for my ears as well as my tummy. The choir is absolutely fantastic. These kids were enjoying themselves while they presented a magnificent program. Kudos to their choir directors Christy Shinn, Beth St. John, Chris Boemler and Lacie Eades and to the parents of these teens. They have all had some part in inspiring these young people to perform as well as they did. It was a joy to watch them. The meal was quite delicious and the music superb. Thank you for the wonderful Christmas gift.

Insurance, marijuana

Since Washington state has legalized recreational marijuana use, I want my insurance company to pull out of that state, as I can only see that there will be more accidents and deaths with large payouts for claims. I do not want to have my insurance premium raised to pay for this stupidity.

Obama won

I have had the occasion to travel in a lot of the areas served by the print edition of the Southeast Missourian and am disturbed by the large number of people who are in denial. Perhaps you could help erase their refusal to face reality by writing an editorial gently reminding readers that the presidential election was won by Barack Obama.

Fiscal cliff

Ah, the fickle public. Mark my words. If a deal is cut to avoid going over the fiscal cliff, extremists on both sides will say they got the shaft. This perception will dominate the news and will lead to increased, not decreased, polarization.

Speaker's agenda

Jones for this. Jones for that. Reforms pitched by Missouri's Speaker of the House (some Republican named Jones) are not surprisingly pro-business and anti-average Joe. Tax credits for business translates into more tax burden on the working middle class in order to maintain public services. Tort reform for doctors incentivizes malpractice at the expense of the patient. Right-to-work means right-to-work for less. As far as I'm concerned, Jones can take his extreme right-wing agenda and move to the far reaches of the rapidly warming arctic.

Young voters

With the emphasis on Democratic, most young voters (18-29) are favorably disposed to democratic socialism. This is in large part due to the fact that they've seen the disastrous consequences of unregulated capitalism and believe strongly that the federal government can be a force for good, establishing and enforcing regulations that keep the unfettered free market in line and, in some instances, enforcing a collective effort to ensure better health and well- being for almost all American citizens; i.e., Obamacare.