why worship those who do nothing?
William Shakespeare was an intelligent man who was recognized for his intelligence and his worth. Daisy de la Hoya is a glorified floozy who is recognized for her appearance on reality dating shows such as "Rock of Love" and "Daisy of Love." If you were to ask a teenager whom they admire more, what do you think the answer would be?
Instead of television pushing those who accomplish things in their life, we recognize those who contribute absolutely nothing to society and offer nothing to be learned by the audience. Instead of watching shows that take us into a different mind-set, we browse the guide for programs that offer us physical and verbal fighting, drugs and other criminal activities, obscenity and sex. There is seriously something wrong with a society that praises those who have accomplished nothing. We have a whole culture based on following those who accomplish nothing and do nothing. Instead of picking up the paper to read the news, we pick up the paper to see who dumped who and the "scandalous" new couple and the newest biggest outrage.
We pride ourselves on being evolved and instead of reading a book we are following the newest tabloid king or queen. I believe that there is a serious lack of substance in television programming and what news is reported. The only reason these shows and new stories are being read is the same reason little girls hate junior high school; today's society thrives on the drama. Which is nothing to be proud of.
Arianna Schmitt
Franklin
Schmitt is a senior at Franklin Central School. Schmitt has written this letter to the editor as part of Stephen DiCarlo's Participation in Government class.
Rep's comments insulting, demeaning
I was appalled to read the comments of Otsego County Board representative and candidate Betty Anne Schwerd published in The Daily Star on Oct. 27.
In speaking of essential services, she said some are important, such as keeping the roads in good shape, but others, such as mental health services are less so. Apparently to clarify, she was quoted as saying "Crazy people are going to be crazy no matter what you do."
It is sad to think that in 2009 a person could be this uneducated, or I think better, ignorant regarding the value and impact that mental health services have on citizens. Mental health service providers assist people struggling with the fallout from trauma or accidents (think post traumatic stress disorder) physical and/or sexual abuse, depression, Alzheimer's just to name a few. Perhaps the "crazy people" she refers to are servicemen and women coming back from war, perhaps they are individuals dealing with depression brought on from learning of a terminal disease, or maybe the crazy people are the countless children and adults in our society coping with diagnoses like clinical depression, bi-polar, dementia, panic attacks, phobias or any number of other challenges.
I feel that it is incredibly insulting and demeaning for Ms. Schwerd to group anyone using mental health services as "crazy" as it reinforces an ignorant and dated perception of mental illness""it is demeaning and it is offensive.
Brigid Sullivan
Morris
Cheney should keep quiet on Afghanistan
It is time for the former Vice President Dick Cheney to shut his mouth about what the U.S. needs to do in Afghanistan. His arrogance knows no limits.
After all but abandoning Afghanistan prematurely to invade Iraq, on the phony pretext of Saddam Huseun's terrorist connections and stockpiles of mega weapons _ along with his boss' utter incompetence to prosecute the war _ he needs to eat a little humble pie. He had his time to do things right in Afghanistan, but he chose to jump ship and find a country with "better targets" and a better chance for a quick "victory." We see where that's gotten us.
Mr. Cheney's attempt to twist his legacy of lies, criminality, war-mongering and incompetence by attacking the polices of a sitting president trying to clean up the mess Mr. Bush left behind speaks volumes about his character.
Thomas Banks
Delhi
Illegals, jobs exodus reasons for crisis
Is not our current economic crisis due a great deal to the influx of illegal aliens, especially from Mexico, overburdening our financial system, putting us constantly in deeper debt and is mainly uncontrolled. Is this not the important issue needing immediate attention today?
And is not our current economic crisis mainly caused by the transfer of manufacturing to countries whose leadership is contrary to the interests of the United Sates, mainly Russia and China?
Socialism and communism are not dead. They boil down to direction and ownership of all business and industry in the hands of a few leaders, not to the workers or the people. The misused word or term "democracy" is supposed to be government by the people, as publicly proclaimed. It is not. It deprives people from governing themselves and is always eventually taken over by some form of socialism or in the hands of a few. The United States was never meant to be democracy. It was always meant to be a republic, for which it stands. It does not say allegiance to a democracy, which ends up with no meaningful direction by the people.
The past Clinton administration policies led our country to overseas manufacturing to the detriment of our own. The companies that moved overseas took no risk on their shoulders. Their success was assured by the U.S. government policies and the low wages they pay their work force. They took no inherent risk in so doing. Do we possibly think this policy is for the benefit of their workers or of our country or was it or is it for the few leaders of their companies and countries?
Beth Whitcher
Oneonta
One day we'll understand why Why?
All Walton has been asking this question: "Why?" John Meredith, a young man with so much to give, has been taken from our presence.
He has been taken from his family, his church, his town and Delaware County. But he has left a legacy of honest government. We trust those who have taken the reins of that government will follow his lead.
Many times since I have known John I would tell him, "Jesus loves you, John, but you have to love him back." And he would answer many times, "I do."
There is an old Gospel song that goes, "Farther along we'll know more about it, farther along we'll understand why." So, as I and many of us don't understand why now, some day we will.
God bless the Meredith family and God bless Walton.
Gil Williams
Walton
On truth and justice
The Daily Star's editorial comments for Oct. 22 might well be applied to many other recent cases of injudicious justice.
On the subject of truth and justice, it could be said that many people talk of truth and justice. Some people actually try to observe both in everyday practice. Others propose that truth is whatever they say. To those people "justice" is just as they say it is.
Perhaps a branch has always existed, at times, between the saying and doing of true justice. Sadly, it often seems nowadays that the "just-as-I-say" principle prevails.
William F. Roberts
Otego
