Speak Out

The U.S. government has been overstepping its original constitutional authority for more than 100 years, and now it expects the people to bail it out of the financial mess it has created.

The U.S. government has no constitutional right to be involved in education, free enterprise, medical care, energy, housing, charity or any other feel-good program. In other words, socialism and nationalization are anti-freedom.

As a whole body, the U.S. government is corrupted and needs to be reduced in its powers and cleansed from top to bottom in personnel and programs.

Please be aware that the bailout plan will surely fail since it is a flawed economic concept that will greatly devalue the U.S. dollar even more.

C.W. Sailors
Ashland

The convention view

Like many citizens, I turned on my television to watch the Republican National convention a few weeks ago. I wanted to hear what John McCain had to say. I heard a lot about change. I had ample time to see the speech by McCain more than once, so for a while I put my tele-screen on mute so I could view the whole picture without the distraction of sound.

I saw a sea of white. There were only a few brown faces.

When I saw this, I was reminded of the subject and content of John Edwards' speeches when he ran for president some time ago.

Did I perhaps view on my tele-screen a picture worth more than a thousand words, of what John Edwards said about our politics — "two Americas!"

Is it true?

P.J. Miller
Munford

Those who protect us

For decades I have been told that the police are here to protect us. We all know that if we do something behind the wheel that they judge to be illegal or dangerous, then kiss some of your money goodbye. There should be more to their jobs than simply separating the people from their money.

In 1973, I was a construction worker in north Georgia, and as I was following my co-workers home one day, the driver drove into an intersection that had no standing stop sign. He collided head-on with a car carrying a troop of Girl Scouts. The little girls were scattered all over the ground, and one of them was under the car. Generous passers-by were kind enough to stop and help us lift the car so someone could drag the little girl out.

Someone called the Georgia Patrol and they called ambulances, then they calmly wrote their report and drove away. I noticed people standing on the front porch of a nearby house who had seen the accident. They told me that the sign had been down for more than two weeks and that they had reported it because they had witnessed several near-misses at the intersection.

I am not one to say "there should be a law." I do think that there should be a law requiring any state, county or city law enforcement officer to stop and remain at any intersection where there is a stop or yield sign down or where vegetation has blocked the vision of a stop or yield sign until crews can correct the situation.

I do not believe this is too much to ask of the people who claim that they are here to protect us.

Bill DuBose
Talladega

Give Segall a chance

Once again, Congressman Mike Rogers has voted in the best interest of those who elected him. He voted no on the latest energy bill. After all, we wouldn't want those Big Oil companies to lose their tax breaks, nor should they have to drill on the land that they already hold leases for.

No to that off shore drilling, too. Why would we want to cut the number of barrels of oil we buy from OPEC? We might even get them to deliver some directly to Calhoun County since we seem to be out of gas on a regular basis. No to releasing oil from the federal reserve, that just might give us a little money break at the pump just before Christmas. But then, we spend way too much money on toys and such anyway, and Rogers, being the conscientious fellow he is, just wants to keep our minds on what we need instead of what we might want.

Enough sarcasm. What has Rogers done for you lately? Oh, he cast the deciding vote of CAFTA, whereby destroying the garment industry in Alabama. Did those in Alabama who lost their jobs learn another language and get a passport because that is where your jobs went?

There is a choice in this election, his name is Josh Segall. I know, I have seen those negative adds, and I have one word for them — ridiculous. Most Alabamians I know don't speak the way those bad actors hired for those commercials do, and the allegations are just as bad as the acting.

Let's give Josh Segall an opportunity to put Alabama back to work.

Barbara Miller
Anniston

Still a disgrace

Re "Judging morality" (Speak Out, Sept. 27):

Letter writer Philip Rowe stated that "Johnson's bigotry, hatred and judgment of a 17-year-old girl highlights what's wrong with America today." I never said nor implied any such thing about Bristol Palin. Rowe is a liar. My comments were clearly directed solely at Todd and Sarah Palin's lack of judgment and common sense in neglecting to teach their daughter about sex.

In truth, I feel sorry for a child whose parents didn't love her enough to teach her to respect her own body. Another important part of loving a child is teaching that child morals and that would appear to be lacking in this family.

I know I'm on the other side on this issue. Where I come from, a teen pregnancy is still considered a disgrace in the family and the parents certainly don't earn any respect out of this terrible situation. Alabama has had one of the highest teen pregnancy rates for decades, and I guess for many it's normal to gather for a family reunion and fawn over the latest pregnant high school student in the family. I assure you it's not normal around the rest of the country.

John Johnson
Weaver