Speak Ups for June 25 - We don’t need beer at the fair.

9:32 PM Friday, June 24, 2011

Critical of Honda? No way. But, if you were standing in the shoes of the temps and not making over $20 an hour, with great benefits, would you be singing a different tune? Maybe you should ask yourself if you would love your job at 11 bucks an hour and no benefits. I can tell you that not many temps purchase a brand-new Honda. They can’t afford to.

We don’t need beer at the fair. It is one of the few family events left that doesn’t include alcohol. Parents shouldn’t drink around children and we don’t need drunk people on the rides.

To the person who complained about Facebook Father’s Day greetings: Sorry that’s all you got. I wished all my male friends and family Happy Father’s Day but — you betcha — I would have sent a card to my dad, but he passed in 1981.

There’s a misconception that Medicaid is free. Not so. The recipient pays nearly all of their income over $570 per month, both earned and unearned, to the state in order to receive health care for that month.

Putting all of the responsibility on teachers for how well their students do is like holding doctors entirely responsible for their patients’ personal habits. How come it’s OK to base teacher pay on how well students perform on a single test, but we would never dream of docking doctors’ paychecks if their patients decide to eat fast food, smoke, and lead sedentary lifestyles? How can I help it when my students’ parents neglect to make sure they get proper rest and nutrition, or subject them to a chaotic living environment at home, or never read to them?

I wonder if Ryan Dunn had had a conceal and carry permit, if he would have been as responsible with a gun as he was with a car.

The vast majority of Americans prefer tax increases on the rich and an end to corporate welfare, as opposed to drastic cuts to jobs, Medicare, Social Security and other aid for the poor and middle class. So why are these politicians stalling?

What were people thinking when they made the hospital the center of attraction in Springfield? The North Street merry-go-round is totally ridiculous.

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