Speak Out 2/1/05

Movie out of balance

THERE'S DEFINITELY a cultural war out there. I was offended by the movie "Are We There Yet?" I found it offensive that the movie isn't balanced.

Recipe contest?

SOMEONE MENTIONED senior citizens on fixed incomes are eating dog food because they have to choose between food or medicine. I'm a senior on a fixed income, and I've never tried dog food. Are they eating the dry, moist or canned variety? Do you warm it before eating it? Maybe these seniors could do us all a favor and send in their favorite recipes. Better still, maybe the food editor could run a contest and choose the tastiest dish using dog food. Seriously, I can't believe people actually believe this story about seniors eating dog food.

City work, no charge

I READ in the paper where the Jackson mayor said that city crews routinely go out in the county and do work for people for free. I'm wondering who I need to contact so I can get the city to do some work at my house for free.

Cookie suggestion

I WENT to one of my favorite places for a special treat, and once again they were not making my favorite Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies. If the local bakeries want a hot-selling item, Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies seem to be it.

Cut farmers' welfare

OUR GOVERNOR, Matt Blunt, is on the right track with cutting Medicaid. But let's face it, the biggest government social welfare program out there goes to farmers. Billions of dollars are paid out to farmers because they claim they don't make enough on their crops. Let's cut everybody's government welfare programs. We can do it with Medicaid, we can do it also with programs for farmers. Let's look into that and see how many billions of dollars are spent on welfare programs to farmers.

Making a choice

I AGREE with the woman's right to choose, but killing an unborn baby is not choosing. You can choose to keep the baby or to give the baby up for adoption. President Bush said he will do nothing to take women's right to choose away, but he will protect the unborn.

Respect for flag

THIS PAST weekend, I attended my grandson's basketball tournament at Delta High School. My family was impressed, and we had a great time. Unfortunately, we were disappointed with the condition of the flag hanging on the gymnasium wall. It is very disrespectful for Old Glory to be seen in such a filthy condition. I'm a veteran of the Korean War, and that flag disrespects my friends who died in that war. We're presently losing young soldiers in Iraq everyday. I suggest someone remedy this situation. If need be, I can bring several friends from my local VFW and teach everyone how important it is to respect our great flag.

Reasonable taxation

STATE SEN. Matt Bartels not saying do away with strip clubs. What I noticed is he's saying is tax them like crazy. A $5 cover charge doesn't seem like too much to pay for that sort of place. Think how much one pays to get into amusement parks. It sounds like he's making more money for our state. If a few strip clubs close down, I'm certainly not going to shed any tears.

Proof of creation

LET EVOLUTIONISTS try to prove that we descended from apes and monkeys. Creationism can prove God created human beings through written word handed down through the centuries by men whose writings in the Bible are clearly descriptive.

Obscene cuts

MISSOURI GOV. Matt Blunt's suggested obscene cuts in Medicaid are beyond belief. Any schoolteacher worth his salt should reject proposed increases in funding for public schools out of hand, since those most in need now seem not only shunned from society but virtually ostracized.

Placing the blame

RIGHT ON, Attorney General Jay Nixon. I am tired of hearing about the poor doctors and their high medical malpractice insurance premiums and blaming the lawyers. The last time I checked, my doctor's house was a heck of a lot nicer than my lawyer's. It's the insurance companies and the doctors that have made reasonable health insurance unattainable. I paid $238 a month for health insurance for my two children. My daughter had to have her tonsils removed, and it cost me $4,000 out of my own pocket. I have friends and relatives in their 50s who can't afford to pay $600 and $700 a month for health insurance. Some have even been quoted higher premiums than that. I doubt that's a problem for those doctors.

Losing a good teacher

MY BACKGROUND is a parent-teacher who has gone through a school system. I was a lucky parent. For the most part my children served after-school detentions for uncompleted homework or not having the right equipment going into class. One night one of my children woke me up. He was bothered by something he said to one of his teachers. We discussed it at length. He explained there were kids refusing to listen to the teacher. I told him he needed to speak with the teacher the next day, explain how he was caught up in the frenzy but regrets what he said and apologize. He did. The teacher called me several days later and told how much she appreciated my child for acknowledging the disrespect. She also told me that she had written up the most offensive students. Those parents refused to believe their children would not do the things they said and did. A good teacher left the school system after the turmoil.

Subdivision lights

WE HAVE been in contact with the city for five months seeking assistance to get the developer of our subdivision to install the required street lights. Is the city's allegiance to the families who bought homes in this subdivision and pay taxes, or is it to the developer who takes his profit and leaves the area?

Take a break

IT WOULD be nice to have an intermission during long movies.

Who will pay now?

IS THE new Missouri governor going to help pay for hearing aids, wheelchairs and everything else a person needs but can't afford? Of course not. Are the proposed Medicaid cuts going to affect the children who need these items? Insurance usually doesn't cover hearing aids or even a part of the costs. My child needs them. I cannot afford to pay $4,000 or more every time my child has to have an upgrade because his hearing is getting worse, and I work full time at a decent rate of pay. Medicaid pays for hearing aids every two or three years when a child needs them. These politicians only think about themselves and their families. What about those of us who aren't so fortunate?

Proud of heritage

SOUTHERNERS SHOULD be as proud of their heritage as Northerners are. Do you think war is a piece of cake? Wake up.

It'll Never Happen Dept.

ASKING DAVID Limbaugh to give up his rabid partisanship would be like asking Joe Sullivan to admit the unworthiness of the proposal for a downtown golf course.

Tip of the iceberg

RIGHT-WING FIREBRAND Armstrong Williams' serious ethical lapses have been exposed. He has been joined in similar inappropriate professional journalistic behavior by conservative columnist and Bush shill Maggie Gallagher. Is this the tip of the iceberg?

Action, not words

LATELY I'VE noticed more complaints about littering on the highways. Those doing the complaining want someone to clean it up. To all of you complainers I say: Why don't you clean it up?

Many lives lost

I DON'T believe Bobby Seale is a disgrace. Yes, some police officers were killed. But what about all of the African Americans who were killed? What about a government that backed racist laws created by white people? What about the lives of young black men and women's lives being cut short at the hands of racism?

Making choices

OF ALL the time-worn phrases in today's world is "woman's right to choose." So women choose to get pregnant, then choose abortion, all because it's her body? That makes a lot of sense.