OpinionDecember 20, 2006
Speak Out 12/20/06
Noisy adults; Inconsiderate smokers; Listen to us; Must be earned; She'll make it; He's a good guy; Making do with less; Look who pays; Raises for deputies; Candidates' traits; Thank Clinton; Support for veterans; It's illegal; Not in the Bible; Act of kindness; What's the difference?
Noisy adults
MY FAMILY went to a Christmas program at Jefferson Elementary School. I was so angry during the program. The students performed well. I cannot say the same for the parents. Some parents do not have any home training. We preach about how children are disrespectful, but where do they get it? I have the answer. Children act the way their parents teach them. I cannot believe how adults misbehave. Instead of listening to all the children, some parents walked out when their child was finished singing. There was entirely too much talking while these students were singing. A principal should not have to tell parents to be quiet during a program. How can students perform, when adults are talking in the audience?
Inconsiderate smokers
RECENTLY I was sitting in my van in front of a store. A woman got out of a car next to mine and flicked her cigarette. The wind caught it, and it landed between my windshield and windshield wipers. The woman just laughed and went on into the store. My infant granddaughter and 3-year-old granddaughter were in the van which immediately filled with smoke through the vent. This is another example of the inconsideration smokers show for nonsmokers.
Listen to us
WHILE THE recent cuts in Medicaid were being considered by our elected officials, few, if any, of them wanted advice from the people who probably knew more about what was needed than they did. Now these same politicians are making plans with no input from those of us who might have good suggestions. Many on Medicaid abuse it. Many do not. For some, it is an open invitation for unnecessary visits to doctors and emergency rooms. For others, it is used sparingly in order to stay alive or to be able to function outside a nursing facility. Shouldn't our officials be asking for and considering our opinions? Have they risen so far above the average American that they feel too superior to stoop to listening to the people who probably have better answers?
Must be earned
I HAVE a question to all the police supporters who have commented. Would your opinion change if ever your loved one or you were subjected to abuse and lies by the ones you are supposed to trust most? Respect should be earned, not demanded just because of a badge.
She'll make it
I WISH I knew the woman who wrote about being a single mother of three who manages her budgeting and makes homemade gifts. I'd give her such a big hug. I've been there. She will make it, because she has the integrity, spirit, intelligence and common sense that most do not. Blessings to her.
He's a good guy
THOSE WHO have been critical of Mike Kasten's op-ed column about ethanol and corn prices do not know the man. He is a lot of things: rancher, friend, father, husband, politically astute, exceptional human being, but an average person he is not.
Making do with less
I CONCUR with the Speak Out comments regarding the Department of Corrections being asked to do more with less. Fewer employees will only put the public at more risk as more criminals are released early from their sentences. The same situation is unfolding in the Department of Mental Health as well. These folks are also being asked to do more with less. This means that mentally ill patients will be released from institutions early, or not admitted at all, because of insufficient staffing levels. This also jeopardizes public safety.
Look who pays
IF YOU think health care is expensive now, wait until it is free. Capitalism and competition are not why health care is so expensive. Just the opposite. Most people don't care what a doctor charges, because someone else (usually an insurance company) is paying the bill. If we were paying the bill, a routine office visit would be a quarter of what it is now, and there would not be million-dollar waiting rooms.
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Raises for deputies
IT HAS been common knowledge for years throughout the law enforcement community in Missouri that the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department is one of the lowest paid departments in the state. It ranks at the top as the lowest paid first-class county departments in Missouri. These loyal and dedicated people at our sheriff's office need a raise effective Jan. 1 to bring them up to where they need to be among other first-class counties. We are no longer living in the past. Cape Girardeau County is a fast-growing community, and we must have a sheriff's department that is making a decent wage so we can keep our officers.
Candidates' traits
IF I were a voter in Cairo, Ill., I would not vote for anyone currently in that city's government. Regardless of whose side a voter might be on or what potential candidate might be a friend or relative, the fact remains that childishness, bitterness and spitefulness are not traits that an employer would tolerate.
Thank Clinton
ALL THOSE who are losing their jobs at Dana Corp. need to send a thank-you letter to Bill Clinton. He was the one who signed the NAFTA agreement.
Support for veterans
THANK YOU, U.S. government, for taking time with my disability. I was injured while serving this country and forced to retire because of my injuries. I have been waiting for over a year for my disability from the Veterans Administration. I am unable to work and have a family of four. Christmas is not happening this year for my family. I do well to keep the lights on. Within a year I went from living in a prime neighborhood to a trailer where we are stepping on each other, and I am lucky to have that. I call once a month to check on my disability and get the same answer: Call back next month. My medical bills are piling up. The government really doesn't care about veterans. I see signs that say "Support our troops." What about support our veterans?
It's illegal
IT IS illegal to seek a better life if you break the law to do it. That's true of a bank robber and equally true of all of those law-breaking employers who seek a more prosperous life through hiring cheap illegal-alien workers.
Not in the Bible
I GIVE up. I've searched all through the Bible and can't find anything about God saying America was his land. It sounds like some in this country want to use God for their own power.
Act of kindness
I WOULD like to thank the man at the fast-food restaurant who gave up his toddler's high chair for my daughter. It's nice to see sincerity during the holidays.
What's the difference?
ROD JETTON said Somalia wasn't worth dying over. However, he thinks Iraq is worth dying for. Explain the difference. The evidence keeps coming out that the intelligence was manipulated to take us to war.
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