Speak Out 8/16/06

Children in church

I FEEL it is the parents' choice whether they have their child in the worship service or allow that child to go to the children's chapel. There are infants and toddlers who do not meet the age criteria for children's church and must go to the nursery, which sometimes does not work for all children. Separation anxiety and stranger anxiety lead to children becoming upset and the parents being called out of the service. Churches need to look back to the days where children were welcomed and loved in the service. Jesus said to let the little children come to him. Have we all forgotten this?

Shocking spending

WHEN I read the two comments about how some teachers are only given $50 for supplies for the whole year, that blows my mind. The other comment said schools should be beautiful. I hope that isn't the same school. The needs of the inside of the school should be first on the list, and teachers shouldn't have to pay for supplies out of their pockets. Where are all the tax dollars going?

Midweek warm-up

STARTING SCHOOL midweek is a transition for both student and teacher. It's like warming up before you begin exercising. For teachers who haven't been talking all summer, the weekend gives the voice a break after the strain. Teachers do a lot of talking those first few days. For students, it gives them a chance to calm before we all jump back in. I know this sounds odd, but we've had the experience of starting on Monday.

Reasons for flooding

TOWN PLAZA flooding could have been reduced or avoided if the drains were not halfway or more closed off each time an overlay is put down. Drains on many streets in town have been completely covered with asphalt. Flooding on Mount Auburn Road and Interstate 55 are a design and engineering disaster. The drains are too small for all the rainwater that rushes off all the concrete that has been poured. Drainage ditches that allow the run-off from Siemers Drive development have not been cleaned or enlarged to allow better drainage. Open ground is the best way to control flooding. It absorbs and slows the water flow. If not poured properly, concrete will cause flooding.

Good self-esteem

I WAS a little offended when someone suggested that having a tattoo means that the person is a loser with self-esteem problems. I have a tattoo and see no problem with it. I also hold a graduate degree with a well-paying job. I do not consider myself a loser by any means. I also do not feel that I have any self-esteem issues. I am a happy person who made a choice to get a tattoo because I wanted one.

Health secrecy

DEPARTMENT OF Health and Human Services Region 7 director Fred Schuster would like you to think a Web site gives consumers of health care all the information they need to make informed health-care decisions. Baloney. Schuster, his superiors and his sycophants have for a long time been pulling every string possible to make sure it is extremely difficult for health-care consumers to make informed choices. Keeping health-care consumers in the dark reinforces the truth that Schuster and other shysters know that their bread is buttered by physicians who want to keep things secret.

Tasteful tattoos

TATTOOS EXPRESS a person's feelings. Some people you could not even imagine have tattoos, and they are done well and tasteful.

Medical oversight

WHILE THE Department of Health and Human Services may be attempting to provide quality health care at a lower cost, the Missouri Division of Health and Senior Services must revise its policy of investigating inadequate health care provided at hospitals. The DHSS has the authority to deem a complaint "unsubstantiated," which means it may have occurred but did not violate any federal or state regulation. So no action can be taken. Better transparency in state offices' policies is also needed. The Missouri Board of Nursing and Missouri Board of Healing Arts can be added to the smoke-and-mirrors list of our state offices that have the authority and responsibility to reprimand nurses and doctors for medical errors but rarely take action. To see real politics in action in our are a, look closely at those serving on hospital boards and administration. You'll find the answer as to why the state offices governing rules and regulation for hospitals, doctors and nurses seldom take action. Better transparency of hospital charts and records is also needed if a patient can ever be truly informed.

Young leaders

KUDOS TO those young adults in Cairo, Ill. It's nice to see something getting done over there. Maybe they should be the ones running that city. They have proved they are capable of getting things done. That's more than I can say for the so-called city leaders. Make the music festival an annual event. Let them do something to be proud of.

Tattoo stories

I DO not have a tattoo, but I have seen many tattoos with stories behind them, from the death of a loved one to symbolism representing an individual's goal or personality. I find it unreasonable that everybody who has a tattoo is a "loser with self-esteem problems." Many people who are successful and happy with themselves hide their tattoos for business purposes. If you ask people why they have their tattoos, most of them will tell you their story behind the tattoo, because it is on their skin forever.

Profitable work

AS THE number of Mexicans working in the United States increases, remittances sent home have increased from $20 billion in 2005 to $24 billion in 2006. All from "work Americans won't do." Yeah, sure.

Am I a loser?

I WORK with the public. I have a few tattoos. No one knows it unless I tell them. Does that mean I am a loser or have a low self-esteem?

Spending priorities

AS A Wall Street Republican and social liberal, I am distressed by Americans who are unable or unwilling to save a dime for their future. Spending $78 million a day for our investment in Iraq, not counting the human toll, seems like a shaky proposition. We've got to destroy the Islamic fascists of the world, but American obesity will make Iraq look cheap in the next 20 years.

Call them murderers

THE PRESIDENT is starting to call the Islamic murderers "Islamic fascists." It is time for all of our newspapers to stop using the terrorist label and call these people Islamic murderers.