Send Opportunities Her Way

April 30, 2022

When asked if a 13-year-old victim of rape should be forced to carry a resulting pregnancy to term, Ohio state Representative Jean Schmidt said that a pregnancy resulting from rape would be an opportunity for a woman to make a determination about what she was going to do to make that life a productive human being.

Well, we should never deny people opportunities, right?

I move that rape victims who become pregnant send their "opportunities" to Rep. Schmidt, once the opportunities are born.

Budget Some Time to Study the Matter

April 9, 2022

Governor Mike Parson wants to raise the starting pay of teachers in Missouri, which is currently the lowest in the nation.

The Chairman of the House Budget Committee agrees that the base salary of $25,000 is too low, but isn't sure about the long-term effects of raising the base level from $25,000 to $38,000. (For example: What happens when new teachers are making more than teachers with several years of experience? You might have to raise the salaries of the experienced teachers, too; and that could cost a bundle.)

As Chairman of the Budget Committee, maybe he could comb through the budget and take out a few boondoggles.

Failing that, he could hold a bake sale at the Capitol; or try crowdfunding

Money Matters

April 11, 2022

The County Executive of St. Louis County thought that the rule against holding another job while in office was merely a suggestion, and continued to do "occasional" jobs as an anesthesiologist in order, he says, to keep his license current. 

Now that voters have weighed in, making the rule a law, someone has written in to the Post-Dispatch to commiserate with Dr. Page on another front. How, the reader asks, will Dr. Page be able to make it financially solely on his $140,000 salary as County Executive?

He and Dr. Page should try living on a teacher's salary. (Starting pay in Missouri: $25,000.)

Be Happy that You Can Gripe about the President

April 5, 2022

 

I saw a home with a banner of Joe Biden in a clown costume on its fence.

If I believed in political dialogue with strangers, I’d point out that the reason they can hang that banner is that Joe Biden is president. If Donald Trump were still president, he’d still be calling for comedians who made fun of him to be blocked from the airways. After that, how long would it be until anybody who made fun of him would be in deep legal doo-doo?

People who think, “I’d never make fun of President (as they still refer to him) Trump!” have to realize that if a like-minded person succeeded him, and they did happen to disagree with him or her, they’d be in the soup—because of laws passed while Trump was leading the country.

 

So, they’re free to make fun of the country’s leader simply because their choice for leader is out of office.