I am utterly appalled to see that someone in this day and age could refer to jobs like cleaning and waiting tables as positions that "do not teach job skills that are in great demand, nor do they produce anything of value" (Letters, Oct. 26)
How narrow-minded is this line of thinking?
These jobs are positions of hard work for little pay and they do teach necessary skills, and they do produce things of value-such as work ethic, public relations and interpersonal skills, time management and the value of a dollar.
These jobs pay such minimal wages per hour that the people holding the positions have to learn how to budget and manage what little money they earn in order to simply survive.
Perhaps, many wait-staff (or cleaning staff) do happen to be young people, but these young people are on their way to becoming voters and taxpayers of our communities.
And what about those single moms just doing their best to keep their babies fed, keep their bills paid and stay off welfare? Somehow, they find an extra dollar or two just to make sure that their children have a birthday gift, or a Christmas tree.
Now that is a job skill and value that we could all learn a lesson from.
And what about college students who are struggling to better their education and can't find any other job with the needed flexibility to manage their class schedule, paper-writing and test taking? Isn't that a valuable lesson in time management and strategic planning?
What about all the famous and talented actors, musicians and writers who have also held such "value-less" positions as waiter, waitress, cook, cleaning staff, etc., on the road to achieving their dreams?
I dare say that anyone would be hard-pressed to tell them that those jobs took little skill or produced nothing of value.
Before we assume that these jobs hold such little regard, let's also imagine what local business establishments might look like without people in these positions: no one to wash the linens, clean the bathrooms, or make the beds at the hotels; no one to prepare coffee or meals, sweep floors, or serve customers at restaurants; and no one to take out the trash that all of us customers leave behind at any of these establishments.
How unpleasant would it be to walk into a restaurant with no food or coffee, no clean tables, and trash all over the floor?
What a snowball effect this would have on our communities. Hmmm...perhaps people need to reconsider the harsh judgment being imposed on positions that "do not teach job skills... nor produce anything of value," and rather be thankful to those people performing jobs where little thanks is ever offered.
Lisa Loewen
Lehigh
Casino would boost county's economy
This letter is in response to the ones appearing in last week's issue giving a negative cast to the casino resort issue.
After checking the attendance register for the casino resort presentation, nowhere were the letter writers names listed. If those people had attended, perhaps one misunderstanding about the "interstate access" would have been answered.
The three super-two highways in this county will sufficiently handle the additional traffic from the interstates. This was stated in the original article appearing in this newspaper as well as at the meeting.
The economic impact would certainly help this county. I have read and heard about the drain of young people from this county. A casino resort would provide jobs other than "maids, waitresses, card dealers, etc.," mentioned in one of the negative letters.
What about the accountants, bookkeepers and accounting clerks, chefs for the restaurants, merchandise buyers and sales associates for the retail shops, child-care attendants, hotel management positions, law enforcement officers, etc., etc.?
Many of these positions
require education beyond high school. Would not the patrons of the casino resort do some site-seeing, buy gasoline, eat in restaurants, stay in local motels, and shop?
Don't forget about the employees of the casino resort needing gasoline, groceries and other supplies. The sales tax from these sales coming back to the county and cities would be huge.
This casino resort will pay personal property and real estate taxes and the amount is not small. With this additional money, perhaps some of the county's future projects should be accomplished sooner.
With a yes vote on the casino resort question, at least Marion County has a chance to improve its economy and reduce the mill levy.
To do nothing is to continue to gripe about the high taxes in this county.
Frances Smalley
Marion
Thanks, city, for those street improvements
I would like to extend a great big thank you to the city of Hillsboro for repairing the intersection of B Street and Date Street.
Your continued work to smooth out the section of roads is greatly appreciated.
Agnes Steinert
Hillsboro
Step into that tornado, intrepid Tabor Bluejays
"Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow. Why, oh why can't I?"
One can't help but agonize with poor Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz." Here she is in the middle of Kansas. Over one shoulder is a witch. Over the other is a twister. "So, is that all there is to life?" she probably laments.
Most of us who have faced the cruelties of life's limitations wish we could do things that God hasn't designed us to do. Young children often wish they could be as smart as their parents. Adults become frustrated because their natural ability will not allow them to become president of their company, much less the one who lives in the White House.
Athletes are told the measure of success is how many state or national championships they have won. Yet, the cruel fact is athletic competition, like life, is a tournament. Only a very few people don't end their season with a loss. Those people are idolized by us humans as the ones who have flown over that "rainbow" into a Technicolor world of seemingly eternal honor.
Yet, this world where yellow bricks lead to the castle of success is as elusive as a tornado. It is usually a once-in-a-lifetime miracle that happens far too infrequently for far too few people who dare enter in.
What a dream, right? God never limits our dreams. Instead, he communicates to us through dreams.
Do we dare place ourselves on dreamed bluebird wings?
Do we don our uniforms of sport and step onto the field of competition with goals as lofty as a rainbow?
Do we dare beat all the odds; slay all the dragons; shoot down the Red Baron; or point our own rocket ship toward the moon and shout, "Light this candle!"?
Funny thing, though, about Dorothy's dream. There is a flaw you may have never known until now. Those weren't bluebirds. Bluebirds don't live in Kansas. They had to have been bluejays!
Bluejays fly wherever they want to fly because the mighty jay knows his limits. He understands he can't fly over the rainbow unless he is willing to fly into the tornado-place where only a very few dare to go to be lifted over their lofty goal. Most people seek shelter when they see a tornado. Yet the bluejay is known to fly directly into the storm. For he, and only he, dares to test his strength in such a way.
As you step into the tornado of the title run, Tabor Bluejays, remember the goal set in your hearts. You and your teammates willingly fly into this tornado to test individual and brother as well. Now, fly. After all, it is the power of this tornado which lifts you up.
When you land, your teammates and you will see that indeed, you can fly over the rainbow, for you are the brave Bluejay.
