Speak Out 3/22/09

Kids and guns

LOTS of us got bullied in school. But what worries me is the guns that children take to school with no good intention in mind.

Turn from wicked ways

A sign of the times? Outraged over AIG, the subprime mortgage blunder, the recession, the plummeting stock market, stem-cell research, Freedom of Choice Act? Why is this happening? What can we do? Here's the only answer. The Lord spoke these words that still apply today. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." -- 2 Chronicles 7:14

Happy Iraqis

WHO would have ever thought it? All the U.S. money and lives spent in Iraq have resulted in the Iraqis being more optimistic about the present and future than we are about ours.

Wounded warriors

I saw on the Drudge Report that President Obama wants to charge wounded servicemen for their VA health care through their private insurance. The message: Serve, get wounded and spend the rest of your life paying the bills. If that is the plan, what is the purpose of the VA? Let's save $540 million on the backs of wounded vets and shell out billions to Wall Street. I know one vet who will not be encouraging his children to serve.

Sweeping the street

I am so happy to see the street sweeper cleaning my street today. The trash and leafs have clogged up the sewer, and water runs all over the street. Good job. It is a good feeling to know my tax dollars are going for something good.

How far right?

SOMEONE recently asked if columnists like Charles Krauthammer were the right people to evaluate the policies of President Obama. It depends on your political philosophy. Some would say Krauthammer and others are the right people. Others would say they're the far-right people. Still others would say they're the extremist-nutcake-right people.

Fear of bullying

EVERYONE is bullied? You've got to be kidding. No one should be afraid to go to school or work because someone thinks it's cool to make other people miserable.

Teachers' hours

YOU could not cut teacher salaries if schools moved to a four-day workweek. The state requires students to be in school so many hours a year. Therefore, the school day would be extended on those four days to accommodate this requirement. Teachers would still be working the same number of hours they do now.

Smoking and medicine

REGARDING the tax increase on cigarettes: I can afford to pay the extra tax, but I would like to get to the meaning of it. If it's going to pay for people who can't afford medical bills, doesn't that mean if someone gives up smoking they're taking a vaccination away from a child's arm?

School finances

TO the person commenting about the school problems: Thank you. My husband and I have been saying these things for a long time. I don't mind paying school taxes, but there is something not right about having to pay school taxes on your personal property and your real estate. Schools would have money if they quit paying administrators the ungodly amounts they do.

Chimp suit

I read that the family of a chimp-mauling victim is suing for $50 million because the owner knew her chimp had issues before she invited the victim over. If they knew that, the victim probably did too. My prayers go out to the victim, but suing because she made the choice to go to the home knowing of the resident chimp?

Giving and receiving

IT always cracks me up to see liberals changing their tune about how the sitting president should be treated. It's funny how you get what you gave, isn't it?

County business

THIS simply can no longer be tolerated. Not only does Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones continue to cavalierly violate procedure by inserting items not on the agenda he apparently deems important, but he also seems to be going out of his way to make sure that area businesses are shut out of competing for county contracts.

Reason to drop out

I can understand why you'd want high school students not to drop out, but keep in mind that not all teens who drop out are horrible delinquents. I had straight A's until I dropped out. I had to get a full-time job to help my mother and younger brothers with bills. She is not a deadbeat mother either. She's my hero. We left everything we had 300 miles away and came to Cape Girardeau because of the Safe House. My stepdad tried to kill us. We were living without electricity or water or food most of the time, among other things. It took us a lot of hard work to get on our feet. Now I have my GED and am going to college. Do I regret dropping out to help my family? Not at all.