No reverse gear
TO THE EDITOR:
I am a very old man (1930 model) having been raised as a sharecropper on 160 acres in the state of Iowa, with five sisters and six brothers. We all were taught that when one member broke the rules of the 10 Commandants we all suffered, with added emphasis on the fact that life has no "reverse gears."
We functioned as a family group and were taught that as a family unit, when one of us committed a transgression every family member suffered from your transgression and the family reputation would suffer. Oh! What dramatic changes have I witnessed over my lifetime, and I am not talking about TVs, cell phones, and all the other myriad of changes, I am talking about the actual moral corruption that has taken place. People jump into things like drugs, alcoholics, robbery, and many other transgressions without giving any forethought to the fact that "life has no reverse gear."
There is much talk about making America great again, and I certainly agree with that proposal, however it will not happen unless people accept the fact that "life has no reverse gear." We have become so permissive that nothing of any moral consequence is forbidden. Everything is considered a disease (obesity, drug addiction, etc.) I think we should consider outlawing sex because we create so many people that do not understand "that life has no reverse gear." One only has to look at our penal institutions, and just look at our local paper. Today (Sept. 15, 2016) in the Texarkana Gazette there were 32 indictments in Bowie County and 52 indictments in Cass County. Those people failed to take into account that "life has no reverse gear."
For the good of our great country I believe that "life has no reverse gear" should be shouted loud and clear in every school, church and all places where people gather. We have recently been introduced to a new slogan that certain lives matter, but in my antiquated mind I happen to believe firmly that all lives matter. I am a veteran having served in the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and retired after 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. My wife and I have traveled extensively and lived two years in Alaska and three years in Paris, France. We have witnessed third world countries poverty, and living conditions. America has slipped a bit during my lifetime, but I having personally viewed and lived in foreign countries, will assure you that this is still the greatest country on the face of the earth. We just need to put emphasis on the fact that "that life has no reverse gear" to our upcoming generation.
P.S. Even though I am an old man, I would still put on my uniform to protect those things we hold so dear. But our country needs a very serious prayer because our country is approaching a serious "no reverse gear" also.
Merle Yeager
Red Lick, Texas
Quality Hill
TO THE EDITOR:
The Quality Hill Neighborhood Association, made up of homeowners in the historic districts in Texarkana, Ark., would like to thank city employees for their diligent effort in making our city a more beautiful place to live.
Association members live in established neighborhoods with homes dating as early as the 1890s. We have made a conscious decision not to abandon downtown and midtown for the newer subdivisions to the north. We try our best to maintain our houses and their surroundings, but there are areas that unfortunately fall through the cracks.
This is where our city pitches in. It has chosen not to neglect those areas we don't own. And we would like to thank them for their efforts.
Government employees are often pilloried, but rarely praised. We would like to buck that trend. We wish to send out our heartfelt thanks to our Public Works Department for its never ending struggle of making Texarkana, Ark., a prettier place to live. Those we wish to thank specifically include: Public Works Director Jeff Whitten, Code Enforcement employees Summer Gamble and Brian Nolte, Public Works Superintendent Tim Carter and Parks crew Supervisor Ross Cowling. Cowling, with fewer than a handful of employees-along with occasional assistance from Community Punishment Center crews-works diligently to keep public parks and city projects cleaned up.
We try to help by keeping our small sections of the city free of litter and our lawns well maintained. We wish to thank them for their efforts to help keep clean those sections we cannot do ourselves.
Danny R. Gordon
Texarkana, Ark.