Clerk can't be law unto herself
I just finished reading the article concerning the Rowan County Clerk feeling she is entitled to using her personal beliefs in refusing to do her job.
I humbly agree with her on the issue of same-sex marriage, but my opinion, as far as the United States Supreme Court is concerned, has to be ignored in a public workplace. I totally disagree with Clerk Kim Davis's personal opinion stopping her from performing her public tax-paid job of issuing marriage licenses to all who come before her.
Kim Davis has hired a group of conservative lawyers to represent her using what they defend as "asylum for her conscience" as a reason for not issuing the marriage licenses. The final appeal was denied, and since June of this year Ms. Davis has effectively shut down a government office.
This unjustified action needs to stop immediately. The courts have spoken by declining any further intervention, removing all remaining legal ground for Davis' position.If Kim Davis cannot preform her job, she needs to gracefully step aside and resign, which shows her religious beliefs, or she should be fired and replaced with a person who complies with the new federal law allowing same sex-marriage.
C.R Kruger
Columbus
Corporate welfare state
"America the Beautiful", vs. "America the Ponzi Scheme". We the American People, vs. America the International Corporation. We the people must concern ourselves and be wary about turning over our earnings to a growing government that does "wonderful" things and charges us for relieving us of our duties. Americans by definition raise and take care of ourselves in independent human families, not as sheep.
Government and corporate influence are growing out of control in a Ponzi scheme welfare state. It started out with good intentions of "sharing" but with the growth of the bureaucracy, external political influences, and political mismanagement, life in America has gone haywire. Trusting citizens who have had their money put away for their future in the form of Social Security have ended up losers in a patriotic game of musical chairs which results in their being victims of a not-so-fun political economics game. It's called a Ponzi scheme, with precious money leaking out and the naive faithful in the end just holding the bag.
Somehow the blame gets put on inflation or other excuses. It becomes hide-and-seek, distracting us and obfuscating the truth which all leads to accelerated tax increases and government expansion and thus justification for an even larger welfare state to save us from "the problems" that arose from inefficiency and lack of forethought.
We are fooling ourselves if we think that we can vote ourselves into becoming members of the elite ruling class. Every citizen as a priority must muster the discipline to take care of oneself and quit chasing moonbeam political promises and alliances.
We must focus upon performing our basics of life where we measure our morals not by what they say, but by what we do for ourselves.
Jack Tidwell
Columbus
Need and giving spirit
Most people in town already know me. I've been a waitress here for over 40 ears. I have been blessed in doing a service God chose for me to do. Some people call me Flo, some Country, some Anne, but I call myself blessed beyond belief.
I have been volunteering at my church to help feed and clothe people less fortunate the homeless, and people just down on their luck. I never dreamed I could be more blessed than the job I did for 40 years. We always pray before we distribute our food, coats, shirts, pants, hygiene products. My heart overflows with joy because we are helping these people. I cry as I write this because of the outpouring of support we have gotten.
My dear friend Wally Napier wrote a letter and I thank you for printing it. I attend Second Baptist Church and have for 37 years. Today we ran out of so many clothes and shoes and food items. Thank you all for your goodness and your support. So many people are hurting. Please, if all of you can do is pray, please pray that we will be a lighthouse in our community.
I honestly feel like I could walk on air. Thank you Wally and all of you. Please if you can, continue to donate items. Thank you God for blessing me, and thank you Columbus bor being so good to us and our church mission. God Bless you all.
Anne Stanbro
Columbus
Sagging prospects
In a local grocery store there was a teenage white boy with the waistband of his shorts down below his butt cheeks. He was holding the front of his shorts up with his hand.
I am 71 years old, been married, so I don't need to see a teenager's a**, it does nothing for me. I called the manager after arriving home and complained to him. The police should have been called and the boy arrested for indecent exposure, which I will do if confronted with the situation again.
What is so sad is he was a nice-looking boy but had no respect for himself or others around him. Parents who allow their children to exhibit themselves need to wake up and take control. What kind of life does the child have ahead of him when he exhibits such behavior? Gang member? Robber? Child molester? He will never be able to hold a decent job and
people will look down on him, shaking their heads and wondering where his parents were and what were they thinking.
Wake up, teenagers. This is a tough, cruel world to survive in and you will need all your good points to make it through and be happy and successful.
Karen Wheaton
Phenix City
Alternate plan
This is my response to former Mayor Robert Poydasheff's letter on Dec. 10 in support of WHINSEC. Mr. Poydasheff, please read Columbus Ledger, Dec. 11, front page: "Mayor: $6.5 M deficit could mean city layoffs."
WHINSEC trains nearly 2,000 soldiers and law enforcement personnel from Latin America every year, all paid for by U.S. taxpayers. Mayor Tomlinson, there is no need to lay off our city workers. Let's lay off the Latin Americans at WHINSEC.
Roy Bourgeois
Columbus
This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Clerk can't be law unto herself ."