The debate over so-called environmental reforms continues to boil away in Washington, despite the fact that health care is still foremost in everyone’s minds. In our nation’s capital, the Cap-and-Trade bill (I call it cap-and-tax), rests in the U.S. Senate. But for how long, who knows?

Perhaps you have seen one, a banner called a Service Flag displayed in a window or outside a home in your community. Also called a Blue Star flag or a Gold Star flag, the Blue Star represents a family member serving during a time of war and the Gold Star represents a family member who has died in the service of our country. They are officially authorized by the U.S. Department of Defense for display by families who include loved ones serving in our armed services during a time of war.

November 9 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent liberation of 400 million people from the bondage of communism. The Berlin Wall was the physical embodiment of division between democracy and communism, freedom and oppression, open and closed societies. And the struggle over these ideals, which began during World War II, did not end until nearly 50 years later.

When one of our many successful Southern Missouri businesses expands its payrolls, it’s a great day in the community. There’s positive buzz about the news, and people get excited about the fact that their city is growing. It’s hard work to create those kinds of opportunities, but we all know it will pay dividends when a company is ready to expand.

Gerrymandering for illegal immigration

I have an idea to save lives, stimulate the economy and make your day more interesting. Everyone stop reading AP stories! Without fail those stories use the right mix of cutting-edge political correctness to lull our communities into ignoring murderers and thieves among us. Not to mention that AP stories are boring! They have much less interesting and relevant details when compared to similar stories and opinions covered by news sites like Fox News or the World Net Daily. You don’t even have to agree with their politics. Just see for yourself by doing your own comparison of similar articles.

Dear Editor,

When Curtis and I first started talking about buying a house, I was really unsure.