Urgent request to Santa Claus

Dear Santa: How are things at the North Pole? Things have gotten weird down here in the greatest country on Earth. I'm not certain your sleigh will hold all that we need, but please bring us all the common sense you can manage. We've got big problems this year and can't solve them. Years after "Mission Accomplished" we're still in Iraq and about to send more young men and women to another war without understanding exactly when they might come back home. We haven't enough jobs to go around, mostly because we don't produce much anymore. We can't afford health care for everyone who needs it but think we can afford to spend gazillions of dollars on elderly, terminally ill patients during the last two days of their lives, knowing we are prolonging death, not extending life. Yeah, that's a tough one. In schools we're trying to leave no one behind by teaching everyone the exact same material with no regard to what the student is ready and able to learn. And this week, all we can focus is on a golf pro who has more girlfriends than clubs. I'll close because I know you're busy this time of year. Please hurry with that common sense. I'm not sure we can wait till Dec. 25.

JANE PAINTON, Cape Girardeau