Tuesday, Jul. 14, 2009

Letters 7/14

Everyone's an expert

It is amazing how people who have done so little become such experts on every subject. Letter writer Joseph Reichert lives in his 39-automobile world and convinces himself he knows all about all. Michael Dillier, on the other hand, apparently knows nothing about Hitler and what he did to the world while Bush has protected the citizens of this country. I challenge Dillier to justify his comparison of Bush to Hitler.

Both of these people live in their self-righteous, self-made world. Reichert says give President Barack Obama a chance. Four months he has put us so far in debt our great-grandchildren will not be able pay it. All he does is run around the world and campaign while he glories in his rock-star status. I certainly hope the American people see what he really is before it is too late.

Max W. Boyd

Collinsville

The driver's view

My brother and I recently completed the basic motorcycle rider course sponsored by Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Thanks to Brian Lowery and Jim Raifsnyder for their work and and their families for giving them up for a weekend to teach motorcycle novices like myself the skills and knowledge to be a safe rider. They are truly an asset to this program and our community.

After this course, I think every driver should take a weekend to learn and execute the skills practiced by the riders with whom we share the road. Even if they choose not to ride, I believe doing so would help drivers to be more aware of motorcycles and increase the overall safety of our roads. Best of all, the motorcycle rider program is free (a refundable reservation fee of $20 is required).

More information about the program can be found on the university's Website at http://mrp.siuc.edu/.

Cary Mathews

Belleville

No justification

Irene Allred writes that abortion Dr. George Tiller was a hero gunned down. She claims Tiller offered life to patients.

While it is true that his murder was wrong and should be punished to the full extent of the law, Tiller was a murderer himself.

She put the word babies in quotations as if the babies that Tiller killed were not real. She must not understand that in partial-birth abortion, a baby is turned in the birth canal, born up to its head, then is brutally killed when a doctor shoves scissors into the back of its neck.

The methods used cause just as much damage to the mother as the baby. The only reason the mother lives is she is not as delicate as a human infant.

We punish people for two murders when they kill a pregnant woman. Why should the baby suddenly be considered subhuman when his mother no longer wants him?

Drew Waldram

Collinsville

Deadly comparison

Fred Ehrstein wrote on June 5 that comparisons of Barack Obama to Stalin and Hitler are "small-minded" and "mean-spirited" because they accounted 60 million deaths.

OK, let's examine the facts and have some political discourse, as Ehrstein so eloquently states.

The number of humans who have been aborted since 1973 is 49,551,703 . See http://www.nrlc. org/ABORTION/facts/abortionstats.html.

These murders have been caused by extremist liberals like President Barack Obama.

To say that he should not be compared to Stalin might have merit. To say he should not be compared to Hitler is another story altogether. Hitler exterminated 6 million Jews.

By any measure of math, it is clear that the extremist liberals are winning in the body count category, and Hitler is a very distant second.

To the victors (Obama's friends and political kind) go the spoils, I guess.

Bob Smith

Belleville

Not worth the fight

Why are two of my friends having this conversation in the newspaper? I am referring to a letter June 13 with the headline "Caught up in rules." The writer helped me through my grief after a death and the one he is responding to helped me minister to a mutual friend in her grief. So please know that I am not grinding any axes and that my friends are friends forever.

But may I humbly answer the question brought up. Why can only a man be ordained to the priesthood? Simply because Christ instituted it that way. He is normative. The priest acts in the person of Christ and Christ is the spouse of the church. So the priest is "married" to the church, Christ's bride.

Women are the image of the church, the bride of Christ. And just for clarity, when the priest consecrates the bread and wine at Mass, the bread becomes Christ's body and the wine his blood.

Let us never forget the supreme law of love. St. Paul says that if we do forget we become "empty cymbals." In love we become humble servants of one another who deeply cherish and love one another as Christ loves us.

Jim Rellihan

Centreville

Fed up with budget cuts

It is a foregone conclusion that our children are only important at election time. That's when we hear "no child left behind," and "we need to do this so our children have a future," blah, blah, blah.

Then what happens? After the politicians get their raises, their buddies get the pork barrel funds, then the cuts happen. Suddenly, that no child is kicked to the curb along with foster care, treatment programs, funding for the elderly, and all other social services.

Where is the cost savings when those who depend on Children's Home and Aid Society for child care assistance have to quit work to stay home and apply for unemployment? Or can't get to medical appointments because Helping Hands doesn't have funding to transport?

Where are the savings when people who are laid off from any place that depends on social services funding have to apply for food stamps?

Here are some solutions: Add one or two numbers to every Lottery game to generate larger jackpots, and every politician takes a 25 percent pay cut. Raise taxes on every home over $300,000. Increase taxes on every athlete who makes over $2 million per season to play ball. Entice more business to move to Illinois to increase the tax base.

Hey, maybe the governor, U.S. Sen. Roland Burris and the state Senate president can live in the John DeShields Home for three months and see how budget cuts affect people.

These proposed budget cuts have left me with zero respect for all politicians. I sincerely hope everyone remembers these cuts at election time. All of us with jobs still can only redistribute the wealth so far. But then again, we were promised change.

Bob Anderson

Belleville

Taxes here to stay

Gov. Pat Quinn now wants "temporary" tax increase. Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program or tax. The typical Democratic response to a budget shortfall is to raise taxes. Any Democrats ever heard of the alternative: cut spending?

Jack Kime

Maryville