Speak Out 5/25/11

Skate park

I think the city is really missing an opportunity by not taking the old swimming pool at Capaha Park and turning it into a skateboard park. They're going to spend $90,000 to tear it down. They can spend half of that and have a much nicer skateboard park in a nicer part of town with lights and everything.

Socialist president

SOMEONE in Speak Out recently said they wished the conservatives in this area would get over the fact that they've got a black president. The fact that he's a black president doesn't bother us. The fact that he's a socialist does because he's destroying the government.

Back to business

FARMERS are not going to wait until July for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do a study. Farmers are going to start planting any chance they get in May, maybe early June, and they're going to be out there in the middle of nowhere if the Army doesn't build a temporary levee. So we need a temporary levee now. Farmers are going to plant now and they need to get back to business.

Spoiled children

TO the caller who said that conservatives are not getting over President Obama being black: May I remind the caller, the President isn't a black president or a white president. His mother was white and his father was black, and although I didn't vote for him, the time has come for race not to be a factor. What should be the factor is a well-qualified president who has the backing of the electoral officials who vote for programs to help our country, instead of some acting like a bunch of spoiled children up in Washington.

Employing physicians

THE trend of hospitals employing physicians is bad for our community. While hospitals use talking points such as streamlining the system and economies of scale, the truth is they don't want the physician practices but only to control the referrals of their X-ray, labs, pharmacies, rehab and other services worth millions in additional revenue.

Sidewalks needed

THERE really needs to be a sidewalk down Farmington Street in Jackson. There are sidewalks on many of the nearby streets, and with it being so close the park it would be nice to be able to walk down that street without being afraid of being hit by a car.

Reverse math

IN the last three weeks the futures price of gasoline has dropped by over 40 cents per gallon. The pump price has only dropped five to 10 cents. It is amazing to me that Big Oil uses the daily markets to up their prices, but when the markets drop they do the reverse math.

Congress turnover

I see another turnover in congress coming.

Delaying inevitable

A recent comment erroneously claimed that GM was paying back the taxpayer funded loans and held up the bailout as a success since GM is once again making a profit. The government actually forgave a significant portion of the loans, lowered the interest rate, and subsequently increased the requirements on government agencies to lease and buy GM products such as within the GSA fleet. All the government has done is delay the inevitable.

Oil subsidies

WHAT is amazing is the Republicans insistence that these huge corporations need over $2 billion in tax subsidies to continue gouging the American public.