Speak Out A 01/04/03

Offended smoker

I FIND it offensive that nonsmokers want to talk about smokers like they are the devil. I don't think nonsmokers are as perfect as they claim either. So maybe those who complain about their smoking co-workers need to start smoking or get a different job where everyone is perfect.

Business reality

TO THE "Give workers a break" caller: You obviously think businesses should shut down when the weather turns bad but you should still get paid. Next summer, tell the kid who mows your lawn he can stay home when it gets too hot but you'll still pay him. Quit asking for handouts and whining because life throws you curves. Businesses do not take snow days. If you want snow days, get a teaching degree.

Reagan's legacy

TO THE caller stating poverty brought down the Soviet Union, not Ronald Reagan: Why do you think the Soviets were spending so much money on their nuclear programs and letting their own people go hungry? It was because Reagan spent them into oblivion, knowing the Soviet economy could not keep producing at its current rate without bankrupting itself. Additionally, by wartime standards, the Russians spent a meager amount on their war with Afghanistan. See the irony in that? Liberals never have wanted to give the Gipper the credit for being the catalyst that brought down the Soviet Union. Too bad for the left. History will show otherwise, and Reagan's legacy will continue to grow long after he leaves this world.

Focus on good job

A SPEAK Out caller recently bemoaned the fact that her child's principal didn't send his own child to public schools. I believe the caller needs to focus on the terrific job the principal is doing. The caller's child is receiving a superb education at a dynamic new school with a wonderful educator at the helm. If the caller concentrates strictly on the education her child is receiving and less on where other people send their children to school, I'm sure the caller will realize how lucky she is to be in the Cape Girardeau School District.

Weather preparation

I DON'T understand the complaint about the weather forecasts. The forecasters told us bad weather was coming, and it did. Maybe it wasn't as bad as what was forecast, but we got ice and snow. You try to predict the weather, and I'll bet you won't even come close to what the meteorologists do. It's always best to be prepared for something that possibly won't hit. But if it does, you'll be prepared.

Great resource

MY CHILDREN enjoy Riverside Regional Library. We pay double, but we are getting the benefit of a great resource.

Pretty winter weather

That was the prettiest snowfall Thursday. And the best part was the snow never accumulated in the streets. How beautiful.