SpeakOut 3/13

Call 471-6636

I read where one of our illustrious politicians has introduced a bill that would hold the Missouri Department of Conservation responsible for $250 of an insurance deductible on a person's vehicle if you hit a deer. Is this man totally nuts? I realize the state of Missouri just has other minor problems, but this representative has too much time on his hands. We are in a desperate budget crunch. Missouri is still number one in the nation in the manufacture of meth, our schools don't rank very high in giving our kids an education, and did I hear that St. Louis is considered the most dangerous city in the United States? Not nearly as important as holding the Department of Conservation responsible for a deer crossing a highway. Does this mean when I hit a big hole on Interstate 55 and damage my car that MoDOT will pay part of my deductible? Since the Department of Natural Resources is holding up the St. John's Bayou/New Madrid Floodway project, does that mean if there's flooding in our area, that the DNR is going to pay everyone's deductible that has damage to their home, or pay for a place to live since flood insurance doesn't cover that? Get the picture? It's more ridiculous that blaming fast-food restaurants for being fat.

Money woes statement: $19 billion could feed a lot of farmers; should understand once and forever, farmers had rather be paid top dollar for their produce, but the government doesn't see it that way. Therefore, there are subsidies. I hope the owners of words against farmers don't choke on their food. Before you criticize so severely, why don't you walk a few miles behind a "real" farmer and look at what else the farm program supports! Hour for hour, dollar for dollar, they can do it. Can you? This farmer is behind Bush.

During the last few weeks I have read with interest the indignity expressed by many regarding the difficulty of supporting themselves and a family on $7 an hour. I agree that you cannot support yourself and a family on $7 an hour unless you rely heavily on various state and federal welfare programs. Therefore, you should not start a family until you can afford it. Life, as granted to us by God, is about choices My spouse and I have made several good choices in our lives. We chose to do well in school so that we could obtain good paying jobs. We chose to get married only after several years of getting to know each other so that we could be together for the rest of our lives. We chose to develop some financial stability/security before having any children. For us that was a 10-year wait while we paid for a house, our automobiles and all the other things it takes to start a family and live a decent life. We both still work and we only have as many children as we can afford to feed, clothe, house and educate without any government assistance. We choose to save as much of our income as possible so that we can send our children to college and retire without government assistance. To do that, we choose not to smoke, do drugs, drink alcohol, take expensive vacations, buy expensive homes or automobiles, or otherwise live beyond our means. We also choose to teach our children right from wrong, the virtues of living responsibly and the consequences of living irresponsibly. Like so many SpeakOut readers, I am tired of subsidizing people who choose to live like the grasshopper instead of the ant. I am tired of our government leaders encouraging irresponsible behavior by rewarding it with various forms of welfare. Quit whining about how you can't live the life you want on $7 an hour. Start making responsible choices and put forth a little effort. In time you can earn a decent life without somebody (who doesn't owe you a thing) handing it to you.

Last week was my wife's birthday and I wanted to do something special for her. We drove to Sikeston and had dinner at the Grecian Steak House. The service and food were great. Then we went to see "Fiddler On the Roof" at your new theater on South Kingshighway. The play was wonderful. We really enjoyed it. The cast and crew did a wonderful job. There are a lot of talented people in your city. Sikeston is very fortunate to have good places to shop, good restaurants and an excellent theater for entertainment. Thanks, Sikeston, for a nice evening.