Speak Out 12/27/04

Thanks for honesty

THANK YOU to the person who turned in my credit card at the Tractor Supply store. Thanks for your honesty. God bless you.

Cuts are coming

WHAT AN interesting column for Gary Rust to write before we swear in our new Republican government in Missouri. Take notice that Mr. Rust only mentions Medicaid versus education as he rambles on about how we spend more on health care for those who can't afford it than on education. This is just an opening act for the politicians that Mr. Rust has helped to get elected. Medicaid will be one of the first things this group of Republicans will cut funding for, mark my words. Matt Blunt, Peter Kinder, Jason Crowell and company couldn't care less about the poor families who cannot afford the ever rising costs of health care.

Liberal-minded ideas

I WANT to thank the Southeast Missourian for printing Howard Dean's column. Rarely do those of us who are liberal-minded get to read Dean's words of wisdom. For those conservatives out there who believe the Democrats are finished, I want to tell you we have only begun to fight. I'm proud to stand up for liberalism. People like David Limbaugh use it like a dirty word. I would rather be called a liberal before anyone ever calls me a Republican. As for conservatism, it has some merit. However, Republicans are no longer conservative when we are over $500 billion in debt.

Competing grads

DON DICKERSON has done a good job garnering funding and building the university infrastructure. However, it is important that the next head of the Southeast Missouri State University regents has a stronger commitment to academic quality if SEMO and its graduates are to compete with the graduates of other colleges in the state and region.

Pork for donors

LAST WEEK another gigantic step was taken toward the Sovietization of America. The so-called intelligence reform bill was passed by the Republican-controlled Congress. I feel confident in saying that 95 percent of Congress didn't bother to read this 3,000 page tome except the portions that guarantee pork to their big donors.

Can't let them fail

THESE REPEATED attacks on Southeast Missouri State University are predictable and repetitive. Last week academians were liberal. Now they're slovenly with grades. Other colleges have not outstripped us, they have simply formed partnerships with money-men. In terms of honors and grade inflation, look in your own backyard. Everyone at the county fair gets a ribbon regardless of how hopelessly last-minute the project was. Students don't. Furthermore, military personnel get honorable (there's that honors word again) discharges simply for putting in their time. University standards are high because our economic survival depends on it. Some of us feel like America could use a little quality assurance, because we sure wouldn't want anyone to fail, would we?

More courtesy, please

BLANCHARD PARENTS, could you please be a little more courteous when picking up your children? That parking lot is a nightmare every day. People park in the driving lane and hold up traffic. People do not leave driving room for the buses and day-care vans to get through. People cut other people off. People get impatient while children are getting into cars and putting on seat belts. Not only is it frustrating, but it is also dangerous. Someone is going to get hurt.

Share the blame

IN REGARD to the bad customer service people are receiving: It's been my experience that when I'm constantly yelled at and treated badly by rude customers, it gets kind of hard to try to be overly nice back to them. Maybe not all the fault should be placed on the customer-service workers.

No job magnet

THE PEOPLE complaining about retail workers have obviously never worked in that field before. I know, from experience that very few people actually want a job that pays near minimum wage with little or no benefits and little chance to advance while ringing up merchandise they may not be able to afford. If finding cheery workers to take such poor jobs were so easy, no one would be complaining.

Thanks for support

MY COMMENT is to thank our customers at the Show Me Center concession stand. We work for the eighth-grade class at St. Paul Lutheran School. Thanks to all of our church family and our friends for looking us up at the Show Me Center when we work. Thanks for all your support. Come watch the games during Christmas break and enjoy fellowship with family and friends.

God's gift to us

JUNK MAIL. Junk e-mail. Layers upon layers of printed circulars, round-the-clock holiday-get-the-item-while-supplies-last-before-the-other-shopper-does mass media advertising. Shoppers jostling for position, nerves on edge, traffic at a standstill, kids demanding more than last year, credit cards to the max. Is this the way to remember and celebrate the birth of the one about whom the angels proclaimed, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy. ... For unto you is born this day ... a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord." God humbled himself and became a man to die for us, paying the price for our sins. The babe in the manger was the Lord from heaven who came to earth to be our Savior. Slow down and consider the wonder of it all, and then we can truly rejoice in God's gift to us, not our gifts to each other.

Common sense saves day

HERE'S WHAT common sense tells me. If I touch something with my own hands, smell something with my own nose, hear something with my own ears or see something with my own eyes, I'm more likely to believe my common sense over what is force fed to me by the biased media, taught to me by an elitest or told to me by my friend at the coffee shop. Common sense leads to a good base knowledge from which we understand and develop opinions on foreign policy, the global economy and other educated issues. Lastly, common sense would help you understand that the mess in Iraq is nothing more than the new battlefield. I'm touching, feeling, smelling and seeing it, and it's not the mess that the media, the elitest educator or the goofball at the coffee shop are making it out to be. Common sense will save the day.

Root of the problem

WHEN I used to work in retail, my manager always told me the customer is always right even when he is wrong. My co-workers and I always tried to offer the best customer service for everyone, but some people cannot be pleased. If you get bad service, maybe you should look at it from the retail store's point of view. Maybe you're the one causing a problem.

Ridiculous priorities

I GUESS it's just part of the times. The Middle East is coming unglued, the economy is about to fall apart -- big time -- and the conservatives are worried about whether people say "holidays" or "Christmas." Maybe their priorities are just a little off? How ridiculous.

Public apology

I'M A college professor, and I apologize for the elitist remarks made about those of us who choose to teach at the college level. We are your neighbors and your friends, and we put our pants on one leg at a time just like everybody else. In addition, we go to the same grocery stores you do. I will also admit I put plenty of time watching TV. We try to ignore those among us who feel a sense of superiority. I hope you will do the same.