Timing of finals

I always knew that Jackson School District was making a mistake by giving finals the first day and the second day back after Christmas break. I just got my child's grades in the mail. My child is a straight-A student. His highest final exam grade was a C. I can't imagine what kind of grades students who are struggling made.

Health-care bill

A U.S. House bill, HR 676, would provide comprehensive health care for all U.S. residents. This bill has a lot of support with 93 cosponsors plus the support of the American College of Physicians, which has more than 124,000 members, and hundreds of unions. I urge you to call or e-mail U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and ask her to support this bill. The more noise we make, the more likely we are to make this happen.

Presidential ratings

GEORGE Bush, on leaving office, did not have the lowest approval rating in modern history. Harry Truman holds this record with a 23 percent approval rating. President Bush left office with 34 percent approval rating.

Important item

PRESIDENT Bush's farewell speech omitted an important item to his credit: the number of lives he saved from abortion by allowing the states to make their own laws regarding abortion.

The big things

MY wife and I drove to Cape Girardeau with our five grandchildren. Capaha Park was the place to walk and play. It's something how much little things are really the big things. God bless you in 2009.

Wedding debt

WHEN I got married in the 1970s, I only had a few family members present. We could not afford a big wedding. People have their priorities wrong. A wedding is not that big of a deal. To go into debt to have a big wedding is stupid. Later, when you can afford it, have a 50th anniversary party for yourself.

Tipping complaints

I think people who rely on tips shouldn't be bending my ear in Speak Out because of the way the economy's going. They're going to be glad to have a job at half a wage. Lots of factory workers are being laid off. A 10 percent tip is enough. It was highway robbery when servers tried to force tipping up to 20 percent. A 15 percent tip, if you can afford it, is what you should pay for great service. But if you can't afford it, that's life.