Speak Out 5/13/06

Great debacle

ABRAHAM LINCOLN fought to unite America and had a plan for rebuilding the war-torn South. Under George Bush, America is arguably at its most divided since Lincoln's time, and he had no plan for rebuilding after his war. This is why Lincoln was a great president and Bush will be remembered alongside Lyndon Johnson for great American debacles.

Praise for taxi drivers

I SALUTE all the drivers for Kelley Transportation Co. They drive many miles around town so you and I can get where we want to be. These people are the best. Keep up the good work and the fight for your future.

Cutting the weeds

WHY ARE some property owners in Jackson not required to cut down the weeds? The rest of us are required to maintain our lots.

Take action on oil

IT IS sad that many Americans vary their perception of a president or political candidate by what they say and not what they do. Many Republicans wanted to increase our own oil production while other efforts are made to move to a different energy source. Many Democrats wanted to limit our own oil production. Now where are we? There is no good alternate source of energy, and we are still dependent on other countries for oil. If we produced our own oil, we could charge ourselves whatever we wanted. Please, all politicians everywhere, do what is right for us Americans and stop doing things to hurt the other party.

Human beginning

OF COURSE the egg and the sperm are alive, but they are not a human being until conception.

Safer tractors

I DON'T know why people who own tractors will not spend the money to have them retrofitted with roll bars. The majority of deaths from tractor rollovers are due to the absence of a roll bar and seat belt. I think most people would agree that this young man's life is worth more than what a roll bar costs. Our lawmakers always want to pass legislation to improve safety. How about a bill requiring all tractors used in farming or any other commercial enterprise to have roll bars and seat belts?

Ready to perform

FOR THE last couple of weeks I have seen kids coming and going from Central Junior High School and found out they were having practice for the play to take place this week. They were even there for a good portion of the day on Saturday. I can't wait to see this year's production. These kids need to be acknowledged for their hard work and determination. Thank you, Mr. Dumey, for taking all these kids under your wing once again.

Harassing parents

THIS MORNING the Jackson Police Department decided to harass parents taking their kids to school. This seems like entrapment. A person can barely drive 15 miles an hour with one foot on the brake. I have noticed this a lot between Jackson Junior High School and West Lane Elementary School. The police have better things to do than stop parents trying to get their kids to school on time.

Catch the hoodlums

WHY DO the hoodlums who vandalize windows and cars always pick the neighborhood that can least afford it? It seems to me the middle class and the poorer class get vandalized the most. I wish the police would catch these vandals and send them to jail.

Bio-fuel alternative

WHEN YOU see what is happening, you wonder why we haven't started a Manhattan Project to address our fuel needs before now. DuPont has just formed a bio-fuel division, and it doesn't make many mistakes. I see that there's a French-Canadian company that is working on enzymes to change wood chips to bio-fuel. The day of $75-a-ton corn as a fuel source will probably be limited. Once the bio-fuel enzymes are developed, the cost will go way down. We've got wood chips by the thousands of tons around here.

Container refund

AS I drive our highways and county roads, I'm amazed and saddened by all the litter, especially plastic and glass bottle containers. These should all be recycled. They take natural resources and oil to make. Our local state legislators want to raise the fines for littering. On the surface, this seems like a good idea. But how many are we really catching littering now? I've been watching the fines for littering the past year, and I can count them all on my one hand. If our state legislators are really serious about stopping littering, they need to enact a container-refund law. This would eliminate 95 percent of the litter.

Pets being killed

THERE ARE some people in Tamms, Ill., killing the cats and dogs. A black lab was found on Third Street hanging upside down April 17. The cats are being found with cut throats. I hope the police find these people and put them in jail.