Speak Out 9/15/08

On the stump

THOSE OF you who think this election will ultimately be decided by the candidates' stands on the issues have too much faith in the rational and reasonable side of human nature. Appeals to our emotional and irrational nature will determine the outcome of this election, something that currently favors John McCain. However, lest Democrats get too down in the dumps, Bill Clinton is hitting the trail. If he campaigns in the degree to which he is capable -- there is none better. I'll take Clinton over a room full of Sarah Palins any time.

More accountability

IF YOU happened to miss the Sept. 9 column by Michael Jensen, please take time to read it. He talks about poverty and the need to help people who are truly needy. But he also speaks of those who have learned how to game the system. I see some of those people every day, and it angers me to know how hard others work to barely make ends meet. Somewhere, somehow, there needs to be more accountability for all this free money.

Energy myth

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE is a myth for now. If we drill, we will still be dependent on foreign sources for oil. We should do it anyway, because it will create the myth that we're energy independent, and everyone knows that what people think is true is much more important than what is actually true.

Service and pregnancy

THE MEN and women of this country who join the military and go to war and don't come back home have done so willingly. My husband is in the Army. I know the risk he is taking. So does he. He does this so we can be safe in this country. A baby is innocent. If you find yourself pregnant with an unwanted child, I beg you to please carry the child, have it, and then give it up for adoption. Don't end the baby's life, before it has even had a chance. So many men and women would love to have children but can't for whatever reason. If God did not want that child on this earth, he would not have given it to you to carry. You can't compare the two things. One is a service that people volunteer to do, knowing the risk. One is just plain murder.

Gasoline prices

I RECALL the first time that oil traded at or slightly above $100 a barrel. Fuel prices for gasoline at local stations in Cape Girardeau were around $2.79 a gallon. Why is the pump pricing today not close to the previous cost of $100-a-barrel oil? Should we ask our elected officials to investigate gouging?

Accepting help

TO THE person who said we don't need any social programs: I'm sure if you were in a wreck and became disabled, you would want benefits like Social Security disability and Medicare. I am a disabled veteran, and sometimes things happen beyond our control and we are forced into taking a social program. Until you walk in someone else's shoes don't criticize him.

Parade bullies

I WOULD like to thank nine teenagers for taking the experience of the SEMO District Fair parade away from my three small children and all of the children around us. I would also like to thank the mothers of these 15-plus-year-olds for allowing them to tag team on both sides of the street and take the candy away from all of the youngsters who were trying to pick it up. My 5-year-old son was in tears by the end of the parade. They should all be ashamed of the way they acted.

My hero

SOME MONTHS ago I fell and broke my hip in three places right outside my door. I was alone. It was getting dark, and I was screaming. Out of nowhere, this man comes by. He is a hero. He carried my into my house where we called an ambulance. I've been in the hospital for two months. If he hadn't found me, I wouldn't be here to thank him, but I have no idea who he is. I thank you, hero.

Job protection

AS LONG as we continue to buy stuff made in China, we're encouraging our manufacturers over here to move their operations overseas. We think it doesn't affect us, but it will eventually. We have to have free trade, but it has to be fair trade, and our people over here are going to have to quit demanding guaranteed work from automobile people like they have in the past.

A good rodeo

I'D LIKE to compliment the rodeo at the fair this year. It was nice. It's a small rodeo, but the animals were well kept, and they put on a really good show. I love to watch the animals work. I also thank God for animal rights people who have cleaned up a lot of these rodeos. Everyone really did a good job.

Research funding

FUNDING FOR the National Cancer Institute has been flat during the past three years of the Bush administration at about $4.8 billion. At the same time, the war in Iraq is costing the U.S. taxpayers $10 billion a week. At the current rate, 43 percent of Americans will develop cancer in their lifetime. We should all let our legislators know how out of balance our government has become.

Honoring the fallen

I WOULD like to congratulate and thank the person who wrote in about putting the memorial up for the fallen soldiers. I think that is a neat idea.

Thanks for help

I WOULD like to thank the good Samaritan who stopped and helped the carrier who was stuck. I didn't get his name, but he was a wonderful person. Many people went by, and I didn't have cell service to call anyone. He was kind enough to help me pull my car out. God bless you.

Crossed destinies

I'M SO proud to learn that my alma mater, Southeast Missouri State University, is printing Tom Cushman's upcoming book. I knew when I heard Cushman's name mentioned in the Beastie Boys song, "Hey Ladies" from their late 1980s album "Paul's Boutique," that this was a man of destiny and that someday his destiny and mine would cross.

Mineral wealth

I WANT to comment about the uranium some experts think is in Mississippi County. About 15 to 20 years ago there was an article in The Wall Street Journal that said within a 500-mile radius of Rolla, Mo., are the richest minerals in the world. There is an unlimited amount of coal and oil, but we can't use it because of the environmentalists and crooked politicians. Our minerals could make Missouri a wealthy state. Missouri could be the mineral capital of the world. We've got a commodity here that could make us all wealthy. We need leadership to help us develop it.