Speak Out 6/14/10

Fair for the gander

THOSE who are angry that a group is trying to get another vote on the casino issue need to realize that this group is only treating the issue the way it was approached to begin with. Remember, we voted down a casino. Those in favor pushed another vote through. Now, years later when opinions may have changed again, those against are applying the principle of "what's fair for the goose is fair for the gander."

Gambling addict

I had a mother addicted to gambling. She didn't pay the bills, committed insurance fraud, stole from her children and bounced checks, all so she could gamble. Nothing was as important to her as that bingo game, not even her children or grandchildren. She couldn't be bothered with going to see her daughter after a wreck because it interfered with bingo night. A lot of lives are ruined because of gambling. If you want to gamble, at least be responsible and make sure you are able to pay your bills.

Wrongheaded

THE Washington Examiner's wretched piece blaming the failure to immediately clean up the oil spill on President Obama while not even mentioning the responsibility of BP to take action exemplifies political partisanship even beyond that daily exhibited by the large number of wrongheaded opinions expressed on the Southeast Missourian's Opinion page.

D-Day speech

THE comment accusing President Obama of failing to mark D-Day is mistaken. The text of his speech is available online, as is video of him delivering it. He referenced not only details of the D-Day effort itself, but also mentioned the historical accounts written by three D-Day vets and made connections to the Battle of Lexington and the the current military efforts to maintain freedom.

Possible conflict

I applaud the county commission's appointment to the SB 40 Board. It appears the board and others view it as a conflict of interest. I believe there is a conflict of interest among those serving on the board who have children who are receiving services from VIP. To be truly open-minded about the services of people with disabilities, you should not serve on the board if your child is receiving services. As parents, we naturally put our child's interests first.