Speak Out 7/28/07

Abe's adage

A WISE Abe Lincoln once said, "We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."

Teaching math

I WAS wondering if the Jackson School District could explain to me why it teaches one style of new math from kindergarten to fifth grade but teaches conventional math from sixth grade on. Doesn't this create a confusing learning environment for the students?

Say it with flowers

WHEN A man sends flowers for no reason, there is a reason. Maybe it is because he appreciates his mate and wants to show it with flowers. Better to send one dozen roses now for no reason than 20 dozen when a spouse has passed on.

Low rates, high revenue

OUR LOCAL government needs to remember that there is a difference between tax rates and tax revenue. During his first term, President Bush lowered tax rates. Now the federal government is taking in the highest tax revenue in history. Low tax rates encourage high tax revenue.

Not so neighborly

THERE IS a man who has bought a run-down home in a nice neighborhood in Jackson and is fixing it up. But all the neighbors can think about is the trash pile (which you can't see from the road) in the back of his home. These people aren't thinking of how much the man has increased their property value. They call the police, take pictures and get the mayor to stand behind them pushing this man to clean up the trash pile before he is finished with the house. He is working a full-time job, going to school full time and raising a family. Stop and think about what you can do to help this man and what he has done for you.

Out of touch

THE CENTRAL High School principal is once again showing how out of touch he is with parents and how little he cares about what the parents think. We don't want our children to have a longer school day, and we feel our teens deserve their Tiger Time break.

Better teaching

I DON'T mind a longer school day, but please get better teachers and stop the Accelerated Reader Program, which causes children to lose the desire to read. Drop the MAP tests, which cause hard feelings when school administrators spew the blame game on a bunch of kids of one particular race. If schools taught the students instead of badgering them, they would learn.

Restaurant hours

A RESTAURANT employee says the customer should be more polite and not come in late. But what about the customer who has had a long hard day and expects dinner to be served during the hours that are advertised? If a restaurant doesn't want to serve after a certain time, it should post that at the door. We walked into a restaurant three months ago 30 minutes before the posted closing. The waitress ignored my daughter's leaking cup, ignored the object I found in my food, rushed to give us our bill and made it clear we were not welcome. She received no tip, and we have not been back. Keep it up and you won't have to worry about working such long hours.

Fountain memorial

THE WAR monument debate continues. Has anyone thought of creating a memorial that attracts visitors? A beautiful fountain perhaps? A fountain large enough for children to play in would attract people to see the monument -- many more than would see it in the shadows of the old courthouse.