Speak Out 12/31/06

Needed protection

MORLEY SWINGLE, Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney, apparently lives in 1950s TV-land to think removing the retroactive provision from the Missouri Constitution's Bill of Rights couldn't or wouldn't be abused in the future. Trading the protection of many to snag a few happens all too often in this country, and almost always it has produced a negative effect.

Spanking works

IN RESPONSE to "Physical punishment": My parents didn't have any underlying anger issues, They had five kids and raised us like their parents raised them. If time-outs and things being taken away from us didn't work, then a spanking was a last resort. All five of us are educated, have never been in trouble with the law and have our own businesses, We have raised our children in the same manner.

Government spending

A SPEAK Out comment that we found hilarious: "I'm glad the government is trying to be careful with my money." When have we ever known our government to do that? It is rather odd, though, how our government picks and chooses what to spend or not spend our money on. We all get so uptight over the relatively few fraudulent claims for disability or welfare programs that we tend to forget most of the things our tax dollars are wasted on -- or that our elected officials were never meant to be full-time employees whose salaries, perks and retirement plans were better than the average citizen's.

Denied disability

A FEW years ago, rheumatoid arthritis had my hands and feet so deformed and painful I couldn't open a door or walk without excruciating pain. I applied for Social Security disability. I was sent to a doctor for an exam, and Social Security denied my disability, saying that I could still work at my chosen profession. I meant to write them back and ask if they would hire me, since I knew of no employers in the private sector who would hire a secretary who could only type 15 to 20 words a minute, couldn't open file drawers, couldn't hold on to a file full of paper nor legibly write down phone messages in a reasonable length of time. I never got around to doing that, but their response might have been interesting. I might even have been hired and be making a nice, civil-servant salary right now, with nice perks and a great retirement plan.

Able to work

REGARDING THE difficulty in being approved for Social Security disability: To apply, one obtains all the doctor's records, fills out all the forms and sends in every proof possible. When that person has to hire an attorney, the attorney presents the exact same information to Social Security. The disabled person receives the disability, retroactive to the date of the first application. The attorney receives a sizable chunk of that money. The main glitch with the Social Security disability program appears to be that the determination is based upon whether the person filing is unable to work at his or her chosen profession. This means that a person who drove semi-truck but could not pass the physical any longer might be considered disabled yet could work at some other occupation. Nevertheless, being forced to pay a lawyer to be approved for disability is rather shameful.

Single father

A TEENAGE girl gets pregnant, lives with her mother and goes to high school. Try raising three children by yourself because your wife runs off with your best friend. Add to that working two jobs, juggling bills, parent conferences, homework, carpools, extra-curricular activities and doctor visits. The Missourian can do better with a front-page article.

DNA legislation

MISSOURI SENATE Bill 55 was prefiled this week. This bill will finally allow DNA evidence to clear innocent men in Missouri from being penalized via paternity fraud. Everyone needs to let our state legislators know this bill must receive attention and passed so truth can once again be honored in our courts.

Spanking is proper

I MUST respond to the comment regarding physical punishment. The author uses the word "beating," then a few sentences later uses the word "spanking" to describe the same subject. These are two completely different meanings. Spanking should be accepted as a punishment for children above 4 years of age. Beatings are never accepted and are against the law in every state. I preferred to spank my two boys when they were children, as did my parents and their parents before me. The comment said the phrase "Spare the rod spoil the child" was often quoted. It is biblical. Spanking means business, and most kids today get a time out or computer games taken away as punishment. This does nothing to detour bad behavior. As soon as the parents are out of sight or at work, on goes the computer. Use the rod, but use it properly and with constraint.

Need an explanation

IT WAS my daughter's birthday, and I was told by her teacher at Franklin Elementary School that I could not bring homemade cupcakes. They had to be store-bought. When I questioned that, the teacher told me to call the central office. I've left three messages for the woman in charge of food to call me back, and she hasn't.