Speak Out 7/7/11

Use common sense

I live in another town and went to buy this paper from a vending machine on a Wednesday. I noticed all the papers were sold out and a handmade note in the window of machine stating "No coupons in today's paper." I drove to a nearby convenience store and bought a copy there and lo and behold there were plenty of coupons in that copy. I cannot believe how some people act about their precious coupons. I have witnessed the paper delivery guy get mobbed by those who want to buy as many copies as they can. I have witnessed those who buy one copy and take all the coupons out of the others. I believe in saving, but those who buy up 30 bottles of mustard because they can save some money? Use a little common sense, people.

Rick Perry

I'VE never gotten the impression that supposedly evenhanded conservative columnist George Will would ever lapse into rationality, but he sure did recently with his enthusiastic paean to a nonpresidential aspirant. Will wrote that the reluctant candidate did not want to run but that his wife was pushing him to do so. Texas Gov. Rick "Secessionist" Perry is a Bush on steroids even Dubya can't tolerate.

'Fair share'

I wonder why when libs talk about the "evil rich" they never mention movie or sports figures. These are some of the wealthiest Americans, yet they are never condemned for not paying their "fair share."

Shared sacrifice

I am a Republican, but I can no longer stomach cutting programs like WIC while keeping in place tax breaks for corporate jets, millionaires and billionaires. We must restore a sense of shared sacrifice or face a long period of decline and eventual fall.

Jackson lunch

IF Jackson is raising the lunch prices, they better get some decent food. We've been overpaying for nasty food already.

Bachmann statement

OUR nation should be so proud of that youngster. If you don't think young people can accomplish much in the political realm, think again. Michele Bachmann recently pointed out the significant contributions of a person she deemed one of our Founding Fathers, John Quincy Adams, who at the time was only 9 years old.

Romney video

ONE-TIME Massachusetts governor, Republican presidential candidate and flip-flopper Mitt Romney recently denied he had ever said the economy was getting worse under President Obama. I'll bet Mitt rues the day virtually everything a candidate says is recorded on video. In this case, the number of videotaped statements proving he said what he now claims he didn't say is in excess of 351,000.

Republican cat

MY cat is a Republican. He only looks out for himself and his own interests. He expects to be catered to while giving little respect or consideration in return. When he does give a "gift" it is only after he is done with it and the scraps are left on the patio for me to clean up.

Waller comments

I am very concerned about the comments I've been reading on Facebook and other places that have been made by friends of Jacque Waller. I realized they are very upset, angry, worried and all sorts of other emotions, and that's perfectly understandable. However, after reading these ladies' comments, I am shocked at their language, their threatening comments and so on. A person is innocent until found guilty by a jury. Instead of spewing so much venom toward a person who hasn't even been charged, they might want to channel their energy more productively. Also, several of them refer to God and appear to be Christians. They need to remember that Jesus said hate is equal to murder.

National debt

I just looked at the U.S. national debt clock online. It looks like every citizen in the United States owes more than $46,000 of debt. If you and your spouse and each of your children owed $46,000 each to MasterCard, it would be time to stop spending and start making monthly payments. That time has come. We do owe $46,000 each. We have to find a way for the federal government to balance the budget and then spend less than it received in tax income.

Individualist dog

THE Speak Out caller who enables his dog by giving him handouts and providing him with a cushy lifestyle at no cost should be ashamed. My dog is a rugged individualist who survives on his own and exploits other animals if need be in order to sustain himself. I can't make up my mind whether to rename him simply Bachmann, Palin or Paul. I currently call him Mitt, but that seems to make him confused, doing one thing, barking at another, endlessly flip-flopping around on the floor, etc.

Tort reform

IT will make you sick, but if you can stand it watch the HBO documentary "Hot Coffee." It's about how the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, physicians and other pro-business interests have successfully lobbied to make it difficult if not impossible for people to recover decent settlements in lawsuits against those who harmed them. It's called tort reform. This is because our civil jury system (the bedrock of American jurisprudence) has been undermined by caps (limits) placed on the amount of money damages juries can award. If you think this is good, keep in mind that, say, an injured child needs X amount of dollars to take care of himself the rest of his life. Caps will prevent that. So, who pays for the care. You, the taxpayer, have to pick up the bill.

Limbaugh column

I don't know about you, but I would freak out to the extent that a psychotic break with reality would seem frivolous if President Obama started saying things that are in line with (according to a column by David Limbaugh) the political philosophy of David Limbaugh.