Speak Out 1/26/08

No flags for holiday

I LIVE in Cape Girardeau and was wondering why the flags weren't flying on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday.

Good Samaritan

I WANT to thank the young man in the red truck who was so nice to me and aired up my two front tires at Casey's in Jackson. When I tried to pay him, he refused and said he might need help down the road sometime. He was a blessing, and I want to say a special thank you. God bless you, young man.

Counting points

I HAVE my second student who's going through Central High School. Parents are trying to figure out what our student's grade-point average would be on a 4.0 schedule. Central is the only school around that uses an 11.0 scale. What is the purpose? Why do we have to have a college degree to be able to figure out what that would relate to on a 4.0 schedule? No college asks for a GPA on a 11.0 scale.

Sharing the burden

THE THREE cars in our driveway are used by each driving member of the family. We don't have a big-screen TV. It's not a priority for our family. Maybe it wouldn't hurt the rich to share a bigger tax burden.

Working extra

TEACHERS DON'T get forced into unemployment. Most of them take the job knowing full well they get three months off. They enjoy that, especially if you're a woman. You see the summer vacation as a bonus, because you're home with your children during the summer months. Sometimes if you working an extra job it's because you're greedy. It's not because you're giving extra to your students.

Low-level rhetoric

THIS PRESIDENTIAL campaign appears to be a never-ending episode of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"

Comparing workloads

HOW MANY of us can work nine months a year and get paid more than $30,000? No one forces unemployment on teachers during summer months. It scares me that a college graduate is not aware of the time off in a teacher's position. Let's be fair and honest. Most teachers do not have second jobs. Some pay for housekeeping and lawn services. Some teachers take off to go on school-funded programs. How many of us get home before 4 p. m.? And unless you have worked more than 10 years, you don't get paid more than two weeks' vacation a year. Anyone who doesn't like being a teacher should go to work at 7:30 and get home at 5:30 and have only one week vacation for a few years -- for the same amount of pay.

Movie hype

IS THIS town so petty that people are going to see "Killshot" just to say, "Look, there's Cape Girardeau, that's our town in the movie"? How embarrassing.

Blame politicians

ASK NOT what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. What a great piece of advice given by President Kennedy to the nation. It's a shame the politicians didn't pay any attention to him. All politicians promised and gave away everything to be elected. Now the debt has to be paid. For years we had low-cost energy, which helped our economy. You can blame the higher costs on those who promised everything. They gave you what you wanted: credit, federal housing, open borders and a welfare system that has ruined the values of many of our citizens. You can blame the presidents, the Congress or someone you dislike, but the greedy public who wants something for nothing is the real problem. Freedom and the individual spirit has been forgotten. Pleasure without purpose has won the day.