Speak out 3/31/08

Payback time

REGARDING ALL the people whining and crying about getting foreclosed or going into bankruptcy on their houses now. Back when money was easy to get, they kept refinancing. It's not the president's fault. It's not the lending institution's fault. It's their own fault. It's simple math. If you keep borrowing money, it has to be paid back at some time.

Spending on IDs

MY OPINION on photo IDs is let the voters show the picture on his driver's license when he goes to vote. If you don't have a driver's license, show your Social Security card. The government can hunt for more things to spend money when they economy is as bad as it is.

Policing the world

OUT OF 192 countries in the world, we have troops in 135 of them. In other words, we're policing 70 percent of the world. Look at your taxes.

Too many repairs

I CAN tolerate a repair. I can stomach a repair of the repair. I think I could possibly handle a repair of the repair of the repair. However, there is no way my psyche could ever put up with a repair of the repair of the repair of the repair of the new federal building.

Thanks for gloves

I WANT to thank the thoughtful person who found my gloves a few weeks ago at Dairy Queen and put them behind my windshield wipers. Thanks again.

More efficiency

I'M SORRY the economics of ethanol have not worked out for Mike Kasten's cattle ranch. But they are working out for the United States. It's in the best interest of the United States to produce more here and buy less from overseas. Also, ethanol is becoming more efficient every year. In the near future, we'll learn how to make ethanol out of municipal waste, maybe out of municipal sewage. Maybe we can make ethanol out of sugar cane. We can do all kinds of things, and it will become more efficient.

Pentagon has plenty

THE SOUTHEAST Missourian reported that the federal trustees for the Social Security trust fund predict that the fund will be depleted by 2041 and the Medicare fund will be depleted by 2019. Our government seems to have unlimited funds to engage in war around the world. Why can't Congress transfer those two funds to a department in the Pentagon?

Let coaches coach

INSTEAD OF having coaches teach in classroom, let's make them coaches only. In this age of obesity that we have with our youths, we can see that school sports are a good thing. Coaches should no longer need justification. Kids aren't getting the exercise at home. Sports programs are a good thing.

Inadequate drainage

TO THE residents of Sherwood Drive regarding the recent sewer backup: This is not a new problem. It's been going on for the last 30 years. My parents built a house there. The problem stems from when all the subdivisions were built up in that area and the storm-sewer drainage system was not built to accommodate all of those houses. You're just going to have to deal with it. because the city won't do anything about it.

More scholarships

I'M ALL for raising scholarships for kids whose parents make more money. Sometimes a student is penalized when the family he or she comes from is heavily in debt. Why should that student, who has worked hard and probably has the grades, be penalized? Nothing is done to help those who economically need some help also through no fault of their own.