OpinionMarch 16, 2005
Speak Out 3/16/05
Skeletons in closet; Working hard; Do the right thing; Extinction warning; Now we know; Unsuccessful attempt; Playing the system; No absolutes; Over-diagnosed disease; Popular error; Paying the penalty; Moral hypocrisy; Slow down; Accept the past; Religious conflict; Neighborhood effort
Skeletons in closet
IF ANYONE runs for a public office, his past will be public knowledge. Sometimes what one does in his past may reflect what he will do in the future. If you have something in the closet you don't want the public to know about, I recommend you don't run for a public office.
Working hard
I AM appalled by the person who referred to people on welfare as parasites who are too lazy to work. I get assistance for my children, but I work six days a week. If given the chance, I would work seven days a week. Not everyone is like that.
Do the right thing
WHY IS it that the middle to lower-middle class is always the group most affected by budgeting strategies? We are told we must all learn to live within our means, while those who are in economic classes above middle class seem to go on spending, all the way up to the people who are making the legislation? They will always have what it takes to live a life that doesn't require living from paycheck to paycheck. There will still be abuse of the system by the ones who know and are willing to work the system. The honestly disabled, elderly and needy children will be the ones hurt the most. Life isn't fair, but do the right thing by these people.
Extinction warning
I FEAR for the extinction of our species. If carried to an extreme, Congress' proposal to cut food but not farm subsidies could mean that the day will come when all farmers will receive welfare for the food they produce, but no one will be able to afford to eat it.
Now we know
IT IS not possible to bring high-brow entertainment to the Show Me Center for a very good reason. A metaphor that serves to define the degree of sophistication in the area served by the Show Me Center might be to say that we are all more or less culturally mulletized.
Unsuccessful attempt
THE ATTEMPT by Southeast Missouri State University to take over the work done by Three Rivers Community College seems to have been unsuccessful. What bothers me is that a third party from Jefferson City had to help settle this. I hope the Southeast regents are taking note of this. There are some things that money cannot buy. Ethics, character and fair play are among these. I hope the egg on the face of the senior leadership at the university causes the community to take note.
Playing the system
I LIVE in Chaffee. There are at least five families I can name that are sucking our welfare system dry. The men have great paying jobs but have post office boxes so they don't report that they live at home with the family. The women and children draw huge amounts of government services. The women hang out at bingo and play scratch-off lottery tickets constantly. The kids run the streets and steal and destroy at will. There is something seriously wrong with this setup. Most of these people know how to play the system to the hilt.
No absolutes
I WISH I was as smart as those who believe there are no absolutes in right and wrong. Then I could live any old way, take any old thing I want and whine when things didn't go my way and trample on all who get in my way. What a world this would be.
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Over-diagnosed disease
ONE OF the headlines in Sunday's paper infuriated me. Although it is a legitimate disorder, attention deficit disorder is one of the most over-diagnosed diseases ever. Most of the kids on Ritalin and other such drugs are simply spoiled brats who don't want to pay attention. You set these same kids down in front of a video game, and they know every little hidden doorway, clue or key on it. Because their parents and teachers are too lazy or scared to administer a little discipline, they take the easy way out and shove drugs down their throats. Then you wonder why they don't listen when you tell them to just say no.
Popular error
"IT IS a gross abuse of legislative authority," said George Will on the congressional investigation of steroid use in baseball. Will's point is well taken. We've known about the terrible consequences of steroid use for a long time. A small percentage of baseball players use steroids. This is a matter professional baseball is dealing with. I've seen enough members of Congress coming in at the tail end of an already widely publicized problem solely for the purpose of preening and posturing. The Southeast Missourian editorial endorsing a congressional investigation that will yield nothing we don't already know and have known for a long time is an egregious, though politically popular error.
Paying the penalty
IF WE live by the Ten Commandments, it follows that we must accept the Bible's punishment for violating them. That would be death. For those of you who swear while stuck in Jackson traffic, off with your heads. So your children are noisy and disrespectful in restaurants? Stone the little infidels. We won't even go into coveting thy neighbor's wife. Let's get Jerry Falwell and Rush Limbaugh to interpret the commandments. Heaven knows we can't trust nine secular Supreme Court justices. Or maybe we should leave the Ten Commandments in our churches and post the Bill of Rights at our courthouses acknowledging the wishes of our Founding Fathers in Article Six of the Constitution where it says the Constitution shall be the supreme law of the land.
Moral hypocrisy
BAN ABORTION in all circumstances. Then when those children need guidance, love and a stable home to live in, let us applaud those who try to help -- as long as they don't live next to us and force down our property values. Yes, the hypocrisy is alive and well in the moral Bible belt.
Slow down
EVERYONE WANTS to complain about the potholes, yet they will still drive 10 to 15 mph over the speed limit. That puts more stress on cracks in the street and opens up more holes. Why don't you try slowing down to at least the speed limit and reduce the stress?
Accept the past
TO ME, the Confederate flag represents the past of the South. I was born in the South and grew up in the North, yet I never deny my Southern heritage. Above all, I am American. I see many with the Confederate flag, but I realize its place. Perhaps others would be wise to get rid of the hatred they have for this past and come to terms with what was and what is now. Until you let go of that hatred, there will always be a festering sore that will never heal.
Religious conflict
"I AM the lord you God. Thou shalt have no other God before me." That is the reason the Ten Commandments should not be displayed on government property. Clearly a commandment proclaiming the one true God is a violation of the First Amendment. Freedom of religion means not forcing one's views on others, and that is exactly what this does. And to those who argue that America was founded on Judeo-Christian values, I say this: As far as I can tell only the Sixth and Eight Commandments are actual laws. Can anyone find a non-Judeo-Christian nation where there isn't a law against murdering or stealing?
Neighborhood effort
THANKS FOR your article on the trash around Cape Girardeau. I think every neighborhood should start by cleaning up its area. Can we get special permission from the city to have it pick up the extra bags of trash we collect?
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