SPEAKOUT

Agribusiness welfare

A LOT of times, what isn't said or written is a lot more important than what is. In the Aug. 10 "Another View" on the opinion page, the virtues of agribusiness were extolled by Brad Fahrmeier and Willie Harlow. There is no denying that American agricultural production is unparalleled. For that, all Americans should be eternally grateful. However, there is also no denying that agribusiness is one of the biggest recipients of corporate welfare (taxpayer subsidies) in the nation. The proof lies in a recent in-depth interview with the CEO of the huge agribusiness conglomerate, Archer Daniels Midland. In the interview, published in Mother Jones magazine, the CEO was extremely candid. He said that the only ones who talk about free enterprise in the United States are politicians and that we are, rightly, in his view, a socialist country. If we're going to terminate or reduce direct and indirect tax subsidies for the poor and middle class, than we should do the same for agribusiness conglomerates such as Archer Daniels Midland.

Cough syrup advice

I SEE where Representative Mark Richardson is going to run for speaker of the House. I'm sure he'd make a great speaker for all Missourians. By the way, I wonder if he could tell me what brand of cough syrup that was that got him out of his DWI down in Arkansas. I'd like to keep a bottle of that handy in my car.

Undue recognition

I'M THINKING I must have gone into a coma or something. Then I woke up to find America populated by psychotics, narcotics and generally brain-dead morons. The top story in the news lately is about everyone's pain and personal loss about the passing of some drug abusing rock guy. Also everyone seems to be jerking their knees about some overpaid jock who brought about his own physical downfall. I grew up in the 1960s while these two and other undeserving individuals were in their prime. I was also a rock drummer and a jock, but then, as now, I could care less about these kind of self-serving misfits. Thousands of good people die everyday without even casual recognition. So what's all the uproar over the passing of a couple of individuals like this? At best they leave a legacy of destroying social values in America.

Hitting soft targets

OH, COME now, Bill and Hillary. You and your liberal socialists and historic revisionists just haven't learned yet. You and your cronies apparently don't study true history like say the Prohibition Era. Hint: It didn't work. People will get what they want no matter what you ivory-tower politicians and bureaucrats think or do. Think about it. You're impotent with foreign policy. For example: Bosnia, Somalia. Need I say more? Furthermore you're equally impotent with domestic problems like rampaging crime and real hard-core drug problems in this country. So you try to go after softer targets to save face. For instance, smokers and private property owners. Do you really think you can stop teens from acquiring cigarettes when you can't even stop them from getting hard drugs? Give me a break. I would like to invite Bill and Hillary to my home, and I will entertain them by chain smoking and murdering an exotic gopher with my lawn mower. Take your politics and shove it.

Merge the libraries

I THINK the idea of the two libraries in Jackson merging together for one real good facility is a great idea. It's an idea that I wish someone would have thought of a long time ago, and I hope that everyone else thinks it is a good idea.