Viewpoints:
Voter
identification
Sure,
lots of dead voters are going to be upset. We believe they
will get over it. Those that go to a lot of trouble to help
those dead folks vote (and stand in for those that can’t
or won’t go vote) are caterwauling about the unfairness
of it all. “Disenfranchised” is the slogan of
choice. Oh, please. We hear this accusation so much when
certain candidates lose and have yet to see it proved. A
very tightly controlled election where all eligible voters
can freely vote is a fair election. An unfair election is
one in which voting is manipulated or, as in the case of
one Cleveland district, a candidate’s name is simply
left off the machine. We are in favor of requiring a photo
ID to be presented at the polling place and penalties for
those in charge of polling places in which irregularities
are uncovered. DBJ
Financial
Illiteracy
A recent study concluded that only 52% of high school students
could pass a personal finance test. They had trouble balancing
a checkbook, let alone figuring how compound interest works.
State Representative Erik Fleming has introduced legislation
to teach personal financial management to students and to
have it taught voluntarily by local bankers or realtors.
This would save money already allotted for other educational
purposes. On the surface this seems to be a good idea and
we support it. However, the need for this makes us wonder
what is being taught in math classes. John Wayne once said,
“Life is hard. Life is harder if you’re stupid.”
Students need to realize just why they are in school - to
prepare them for life - and get with it. DBJ
Keep
it up
The announcement of several new businesses to Greenwood,
both recently and in the next few weeks, underscores a trend
that all of us in the Delta should be excited about Ñ
new investment and jobs in our communities just when we
collectively wondered whether manufacturing would ever recover
in the United States and Mississippi. The last few months
worth of good news is a sure sign that the Delta economy
is on the rise and we applaud the economic development efforts
that our communities have shown. DBJ
