Speak Out: VintageNOW: A 16-year legacy of fashion, empowerment, and hope for survivors

The Speak Out column allows readers to voice their opinions on topics important to them. Comments are meant to be short in nature. There is no guarantee that a comment will appear in print or online. We encourage positive comments, especially those that mark local accomplishments and acts of grace. To submit a comment, go to: Submit Speak Out comment.

Electoral mandate?

Some are suggesting that the 2024 election gave the president-elect a mandate. The popular vote difference was 1.5%, which was the fourth narrowest since 1900. The actual total who voted for the winner was 49.9%, which is less than half the voters. That does not equate to the concept of mandate.

VintageNOW

The conclusion of the VintageNOW Fashion Show marks the end of an incredible era for our community. Over the past 16 years, this event grew into something truly special, raising over $1 million for the Safe House of Southeast Missouri and making a real difference in the lives of domestic violence survivors. Deb Maevers and her team have created a legacy that goes far beyond a fashion show—it’s about empowerment, hope, and bringing people together for a cause that matters.

Great win

What a great win for SEMO! The team played with heart and determination, especially with such a strong first half and clutch shooting when it mattered most. Teddy Washington Jr. stepped up big, and the balanced effort from everyone made the difference. Snapping Tennessee Tech’s home streak and getting the first win at the Eblen Center in nearly a decade is a huge accomplishment. Coach Korn and the team deserve a lot of credit!

Debt limit

America gives itself unnecessary stress with this debt limit perpetual drama. Eliminate this debt limit joke and save us chronic melodrama.

California fires

I am beyond tired of hearing how climate change caused the devastating fires in California. If anything it is the change from common sense! Extreme environmentalists have taken over the mindset of leaders and prevented the removal of forest beds that are ripe for a spark to start a fire, the prohibiting of trees taken down to create fire breaks, and the list goes on and on. If you pile newspapers around something that easily ignites, guess what? Eventually, you are going to have a fire, and if you have filled a whole house with newspapers and flammable items, yep, it's going to burn. If the people of California are going to get federal assistance, it needs to bypass the state officials (since they have zero common sense) and be made available if ONLY forest cleaning is made mandatory which will help prevent this from ever happening again. They need to clean house from the governor down and get rid of these people who are clueless about what causes fires and replace them with educated people with a knowledge of forest management.

Bridge work

After seeing the completion date of a bridge over a relatively small creek in Jackson, U.S. 61, and it taking over one year to complete, I really hope that this contractor is NOT chosen for the TWO bridges in Gordonville. With the work involved for the Gordonville bridges, it could take two-plus years if the same slow process is made with their replacements.

Biden economics

The Biden economic policies were the closest to President Eisenhower's than any since then. The policy was to expand economic activities from the bottom up and out, not from the top down. This policy was geared to help the middle class, which is the prevalent sector in Missouri District 8. For instance, from 2021 to 2022, the median household income in District 8 grew from $48,309 to $55,599 or a 15.1% increase in one year. It is an indication, that given the right policies, the hard-working people of the area can flourish and move ahead for themselves and their families.

Trump's polls

According to the AP-NORC poll, President-elect Trump will begin his second term as President with a 55% unfavorable rating and a 41% favorable rating on the national survey. This is a bit different than the local ratings would be.

Biden's oligarchy

Biden: “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.” Biden gave the presidential medal of freedom to George Soros, and his son accepted it – isn’t that celebrating the oligarchy?

Trump's oligarchy

Trump now has his own oligarchy. With Tesla and X’s Elon Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg at the inauguration, plus a few other billionaires, there will be well over a trillion dollars in net worth surrounding Trump.

American dream

The American dream is built on a feeling of fairness – break that sacred bond and it won’t end well. The fundamental feeling of unfairness never works out well for the ruling class – just ask the Russians and the French.