OpinionAugust 25, 2009
Speak Out 8/25/09
Insurance polls; In the dark; Follow the rules; Civil debate; Expensive diseases; Reluctant stoplight; Strategy backfires; Being thankful; National divide; Important issues; Careless driving; Teaching reading; Come together; Great job; Better choice; High deductibles; Humpty Dumpty; Waiting at the light
Insurance polls
THERE is no way that the polls that show that the people are satisfied with their health insurance can be right. Everyone complains about what they have to pay and how much they end up having to pay out of their pocket when they have to make a claim.
In the dark
EVERYONE should be absolutely silent on the administration's proposed health care reforms until they've read the proposals. Oh, but President Obama and his minions are keeping the proposals from being released, demanding that our elected representatives trust what they are saying and vote the reforms into law. Why doesn't Obama want the proposals to be out on the table for anyone to read in their entirety? I think any reasonable person, even a child, knows the answer.
Follow the rules
CELL phone policies for schools are great, but there is no follow-through. School districts cower down when parents get angry because cell phones are taken away. There needs to be a strict rule with adherence to the punishment. Parents should go along with the school rules instead of complaining about them.
Civil debate
I heard a pundit say recently that yelling at our elected officials accomplishes nothing, making reference to the lively town hall meetings of late. Since the politicians tend to ignore the voters outside of election years, I think that vehemently expressing one's opinion is often the only way to get their attention. No voter is going to change the mind of a politician at a town-hall meeting. The best we voters can do is remind them that they serve an angry mob at our pleasure, not theirs.
Expensive diseases
I have grown tired of people complaining about health care being so expensive. I realize that some conditions are unexpected and hard to budget for. But if you look at the top four causes of death in the U.S., you will find that they all are mostly preventable diseases: heart disease, cancer, stroke and respiratory disease. By watching what you eat, getting moderate exercise and not smoking, we could pull those diseases way down off the list. These four diseases are expensive to all of us.
Reluctant stoplight
SINCE the storm a few weeks ago, the stoplight at Broadway and Sprigg has been messed up. If you're going east on Broadway the light doesn't change until a car comes from another direction. Cars are backed up to Pacific at times at all hours of the day.
Strategy backfires
DEMOCRATS outwitted themselves in the last election by thinking they could fill conservative districts formerly held by Republicans with an over-the-top conservative Democrats and run up their numbers for a supermajority. Their plan was to be able to demand that conservative Democrats betray their constituents and vote with the liberal socialists. Now their takeover plan is collapsing due to their misunderestimating of the power of the people in these conservative districts.
Being thankful
EACH day I wake up thankful for term limits, thankful that the people like Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid represent other states, thankful that this "hope and change" mess will someday end. While I'm thankful for much, I'm also saddened at the thought of my children and their children paying for this failed experiment in wealth redistribution and liberal version of socialism.
National divide
IT'S not President Obama who has united this nation. He has bent over backward to create bipartisanship. Those primarily responsible for dividing this nation have been Fox TV, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Speak Out.
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Important issues
I voted for President Obama and still support him. I do, however, see one area where he messed up. It was and continues to be an honest mistake. The president has come out too strongly with health care reform. This reform is needed. The issue needs to be addressed. However, there are other issues of vital importance that need to be addressed first. The economic and foreign relations decimation brought by Bush/Cheney, for example. I wish our president the best and remain confident that he will continue his honest efforts to improve and repair the damage he inherited.
Careless driving
I'M in Jackson waiting at the bus stop for my son. A woman in a red truck, looking down and eating a bag of chips, drove by the bus with the stop sign sticking out. Kids could have been run over. That's pathetic. Something needs to be done about it.
Teaching reading
AMEN to the comment about balanced literacy. Our MAP scores aren't improving with balanced literacy. We have taken the books, workbooks and all the resources that teachers need, especially new teachers, away from them, making them reinvent lessons that a good basic reading series would have in it. Now teachers are scrambling to find resources. They are experimenting on the kids, and it's a shame that school districts in both Cape Girardeau and Jackson are using this approach. We need to get back to the basics of reading. Another quick fix to MAP scores would be to limit class sizes.
Come together
I believe everyone should be covered for pre-existing health conditions. President Obama needs to do something about health care. I hope those who are politically charged will realize we've got to come together for the common good of the people. Health care needs to be dealt with in a good way.
Great job
I would like to thank the workers for great job of blacktopping on Clark Street. Also, thanks to the two men who were so polite and explained what they would be doing and when we all needed to be prepared for the street to be closed. Thanks, guys, for a great job. It is appreciated.
Better choice
WHICH can do a better job: a government-sponsored program or a free-market program? Take the example of moving one person from the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport to the St. Louis airport. The government solution: a $2,000-per-passenger subsidy plus the fare paid by the passenger. The free-market solution: BART shuttle transportation for $65. Pretty clear choice, huh?
High deductibles
WHAT about those of us who have HEALTH insurance but our deductibles are so high we have to choose whether we pay our hospital bills or buy food? There has to be some kind of plan to get rid of deductibles so families can afford to go to the hospital or doctor and still be able to pay their normal bills without fear of going bankrupt.
Humpty Dumpty
PRESIDENT Obama is like a little child who can't have his way. He'll do anything to get his way, no matter who it hurts. It reminds of that little nursery rhyme: Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. And all his senators and congressmen couldn't put Humpty together again.
Waiting at the light
I recently was in a line of cars waiting for the malfunctioning traffic signal at Broadway and Sprigg Street to change. After several minutes I was able to back up and use the alley. In line ahead of me was a police patrol car. Why don't police report these problems? And why does it take so long for repairs to be made? Sounds like common sense.
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