OpinionApril 16, 2010
Speak Out 4/16/10
IF the presidential election were held today, Sarah Palin would lose to President Obama by 13 percentage points, but there's still time to narrow the gap. I would like to thank the family that returned my wallet to me. My wife wished she would have gotten your names. Everything was still in my wallet...
Voting gap
IF the presidential election were held today, Sarah Palin would lose to President Obama by 13 percentage points, but there's still time to narrow the gap.
Thanks for wallet
I would like to thank the family that returned my wallet to me. My wife wished she would have gotten your names. Everything was still in my wallet.
D-I-S-P-A-T-C-H-E-R
D is for the Dedication that keeps you showing up here each day. I is for the Innovation you use to get the job done in faster and better ways. S is for the Strength it takes to brush off the irate caller's verbal abuse. P is for your Patience that is stretched when all hell is breaking loose. A is for the Absolute Accuracy you strive for in each and every call. T is for your Tenacity in making sure officer safety is priority one, above all. C is for the Curiosity and Cunning you use to dig up all the information you find. H is for the Humor shared to keep from losing your mind. E is for the Extraordinary Effort you put into this job that can seem worse than the national debt. R is for the Respect you deserve from us all even when we forget. Great thanks to every single dispatcher out there. You have a job that few can do and even fewer that would want to. Happy National Telecommunicators Week.
Tea-party rollover
I don't disagree with those in the tea-party movement, because they oppose excessive taxation. I disagree with them because they are rolling over and allowing themselves to be co-opted by the Republican Party.
Good la-la
LAY off lambasting people who live in la-la land. Many who live there are light-years ahead of those who don't reside there. One example will suffice. A well-known resident of la-la land has so far this year has racked up $12 million and counting. Not bad, huh? This resident of la-la land goes by the name of Sarah Palin.
Big windmill
THANK goodness Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder is going to pursue his effort to overturn the health care bill with private funds. Though not widely recognized as a legal scholar, I would still unhesitatingly use one word to describe Kinder's quest: quixotic.
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Park sidewalks
I see the city constructing sidewalks, but not where they are needed. How about a sidewalk from Cape Rock Drive to Perryville Road that connects to the Kiwanis Park?
Tea-party history
A recent comment stated that "The original tea party was a protest against excessive taxation without representation." It's easy to see why someone would believe that, since it was stated as such in all our history books. A careful study of history, however, reveals that when King George raised taxes on tea (and other commodities) to gain revenue for the governing of his colonies, certain individuals came up with a solution. They simply obtained tea from other sources (including piracy of the British ships carrying tea) and sold it to the colonies without the tax. When the king caught wind of this, he removed the tea tax. The pirates, bemoaning their loss of revenue, retaliated by throwing the British untaxed tea into the harbor. Modern teabaggers may want to be aware of this.
Outsourced jobs
WHEN are our federal legislators going to put a stop to outsourcing? Keep this up, and in 10 years there will be no factory jobs in America at all. Marketing jobs will be outsourced to India.
Protecting workers
THE mining disaster in West Virginia is an unfortunate reminder that government regulation, though often derided, is an important factor in keeping American workers safe. In the months before the accident at the mine, calls for stricter safety standards were made that would have required the government to increase its regulatory role. Though business owners like the parent company of the aforementioned mine regularly speak out against increased regulation, it's the workers who are at greatest personal risk and who benefit from such protection.
Honoring teachers
IT'S great that the school bond issue passed. This is a great accomplishment for the children of this city. The school board decided a year or two ago to not hold retirement dinners for teachers, many who have given 30-plus years of their time to the district along with spending their own money for their students. It's wonderful that the money saved, but maybe next year the district could have a retirement dinner honoring these hard-working teachers.
Great car wash
I had my car washed by Teen Challenge. They did a super job. Thanks to all who make Teen Challenge work. God bless.
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