SPEAK OUT

Good decision

BOO FOR the national TV media. They make it sound like President Bush ended all stem-cell research. He didn't. But he did limit the research on stem cells derived from embryos to only those lines that are already in existence. Thus, no new embryos will be destroyed via government funding. Thank God for Bush. At the same time, Bush announced hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding for research on adult stem cells or other stem cells, like from umbilical cords, which do not cause the destruction of an embryo. By doing so, Bush advances important science.

Deserves respect

I'M SO proud of our president. He doesn't just make decisions for political purposes. His decision on stem-cell research was careful, smart and courageous. No one on either extreme will like what he decided, but everyone should respect it. He protects taxpayers from having their funds being used to terminate the life of embryos for research while allowing research to continue where stem-cell lines were already developed. And he endorsed the continued research on adult stem cells where there was less controversy but little attention. Before anyone criticizes him, they should make sure they understand how detailed and reasoned his position was. He makes me proud again that we have a leader who is committed to leading.

Shorter is better

INSTEAD OF writing columns criticizing Gary Rust for this or that, state bureaucrats like Scott Harper would be better served by firing off a brief missive saying something like, "Gary Rust is a conservative Republican, and I can't stand it."

Workers don't e-mail

STATE SEN. Peter Kinder said it was "remarkable" that Gov. Bob Holden had received so many e-mails against rather than in favor of the right given some workers to collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions. Not really. We poor and oppressed proletariat do not possess the capital necessary to purchase a personal computer, portable or otherwise. Even if we did, we would not have the time to take from our exhausting day of labor to send or read electronic mail. This is a privilege reserved to the capitalist bourgeoisie, but it is one we will wrest from them during the wealth redistributing revolution. All power to the people.

Double standards

WHATEVER GEORGE W. Bush has done, is doing or will do is perfectly acceptable to you die-hard Republicans. Talk about double standards.

Wait till we run out

I CANNOT wait until we run out of coal, natural gas and petroleum. Just the thought of conservatives riding around on bicycles and reading by candlelight because they failed to conserve our resources makes me chuckle. Good luck to all of you who rely on your SUV to get you around town.

Voting against kids

IT'S JUST poor that the residents of Jackson are so against funding for education. It is unbelievable that they would vote against their own kids. What is worse is that, even in their current financial status, I'm sure that the first things to be cut will be jobs, salaries and educational tools and activities instead of sports programs.

Study top salaries

BEFORE THE Jackson School Board and the school administration start looking at cost-saving measures in the classroom, look at administrative positions and their salaries first. Begin from the last year Wayne Maupin was the superintendent to now. How many principals, assistant principals and administrators at the board office have been added? What has been the increase to the budget for administration salaries? How does this increase compare to student enrollment on a percentage basis?

Bad alternative

THE ALTERNATIVE to alternative schools could be disastrous. Keep dysfunctional students in some kind of school setting or consign them to the streets. Pick your poison.

I HAVE lived in Cape on and off for over 20 years. I find the people in Cape are of two types: people who want something or people who are trying to give you something. My son told me the other day that if he came from a rich background he would have a lot of friends, or if he were a lower-than-average student (he is in the top 4 percent of his senior class) and were from a poor family, he would have friends. What the heck is wrong with this picture? In Cape you have to be rich or poor to have friends. My other son stays in private school because he says that is where his friends are. That's funny. None of his so-called friends ask him to do anything. I came from a place where even kids who obeyed the rules had friends. Even kids that were good Christians had friends. Yes, there probably are good people in this town, but I have yet to meet them.

Looking for votes

THE REAL George Bush becomes more apparent: poll driven and vote hungry. His recent flop on stem-cell research, aiming to please all, will actually please no one. He should have taken a firm stance on one side or the other. Instead he chose to sit the fence to gain votes. In the end, it is the research that will suffer from his indecisiveness.