Speak Out A 06/28/02

As bad as the British

THE PUBLIC realizes drug companies spend millions of dollars on advertising that could be used to cut costs to consumers, pay off other companies to keep generics off the market, charge three and four times as much for the same drug compared to Canadian pharmacies, have politicians in their hip pocket and are generally ripping off American consumers worse than any concern since the British treated with callous disregard the complaints of American colonists.

A good decision

CONSIDERING THE current reputation of business, I'm glad Mayor Jay Knudtson broke his pledge to run the city like one.

Good luck to model

I JUST want to say best of luck to the young model, Ali Turner, whom you wrote about in Tuesday's paper. Ali is a great friend to me, and I am sure she will succeed in her modeling career. I hope to see her on TV and in all of the magazines really soon. Follow your dreams, Ali.

What you can do

WOULDN'T IT be nice if we could all come together and heed the words of that great president, John F. Kennedy, and "ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country"?

Player potential

IF ONE of these street-playing basketball players ever makes it to the NBA or WNBA, then it would be worth a thousand times to the community whatever minor inconvenience it causes. Let them play.

What's the limit?

I GUESS I can accept Sir Mick Jagger. But you know how this slippery-slope stuff goes. What if it gets to the point of Sir Ozzy Osborne or, should he become a citizen of Great Britain, Sir Marilyn Manson?

Like hen's teeth

I'LL BET it was worse than pulling teeth to get the Southeast Missourian editorial board to opine that there may -- just may -- need to be tighter regulation of business.

It's our pork

I WISH some conservatives would quit being purists and become commonsense conservatives. Commonsense conservatives realize that what would ordinarily be defined as pork if obtained for another congressional district is not if obtained for your own.

Caring vs. socialism

WE SEND millions of dollars to Africa because children there are starving to death, are born with AIDS and drink and bathe in filthy water. Amtrak, however, is a business in the system we call capitalism. Using government money to bail out business is called socialism. Using government money to better the lives of others is called caring.

Not the same

THEY'RE BOTH from Minnesota and bald, but Jay Knudtson is no Jesse Ventura.

People who judge

I CAN'T stand those people who are always judging others. Do they think they're perfect? Why can't they take their noses out of other people's business and quit condemning? All these jokers who criticize all the time -- why don't they just grow up? They act like such sniveling toddlers. There's enough hate out there without these know-it-alls. I hate people like that.

Set good example

I THINK those two young men winning the lottery is a great thing. Upon entering a new phase of their lives, they receive this extra income that could be really influential unless, of course, they use their winnings for more gambling -- or prostitutes. I had a cousin who won a lot of money by gambling on his talents in billiards. It seemed like a pretty good deal, except for his lavish spending habits. What he didn't use for prostitutes he eventually squandered with his gambling. I hope these boys don't turn out like my cousin. I hope they will be examples of generosity and common sense to the community of Jackson.