Speak Out 3/24/10

Smoking ban

CAPE Girardeau is taking steps forward on a smoking ban. This is great. Smokers have for a long time been allowed to harm others with their addiction. It is time that it stopped.

Americans misled

PRESIDENT Obama campaigned on a pledge to unite our country and to reach across the aisle to work with Republicans. Our country is now more divided than it has ever been, and the reason is the heavy-handed political tactics used by Obama and the Democrats. With their majorities in both the House and the Senate, they felt no need to cooperate with the Republicans or to listen to the people of American. They are pushing their own liberal agenda to serve their special interests, particularly the unions, and in the process are dividing the country sharply. President Obama misled the American people as to his intentions.

Historic reform

THANK goodness for health care reform. Anyone who ever needed health care and didn't have it will all understand the importance of this historic day.

Republican reality

IT is difficult to maintain reasoned and rational discussions with individuals who base their position on lies and deceptions. This is the problem in Washington. Time and again, on issue after issue, the Republican position has been developed from repeating lies, repeating distortions and being unwilling to debate the actual evidence. Republicans have backed themselves so far into a corner that they cannot tolerate any members of their party actually being reasonable and acknowledging the evidence as it stands. The Bush White House argued that they were in control and could disregard evidence and create their own reality. Apparently the current Washington Republicans still believe ignoring evidence, living with illusions and promoting distortions is the way to govern. When will they learn? Are they capable of learning?

Pension poison

WE all know the meaning of the metaphor "a slippery slope." State Sen. Jason Crowell has introduced legislation (Senate Bill 1050) consolidating state retirement systems into one state-run body. At this time, the Public School Retirement System ($26 billion in assets and run by its members) is excluded. However, if SB 1050 passes, it won't be long before legislation is introduced to drag the public school retirement system into a state-run system, take control away from its members, jeopardize and, ultimately, ruin it. I am so disappointed in Senator Crowell for opening up this Pandora's box. I had always thought of him as a true friend of public education.