The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • 13

Opinions Town Talk www.thetowntalk.comopinion Monday, June 23, 2008 B5 THE TOWN TALK Galling all fathers and mothers, too WASHINGTON Barack Obama's recent call for responsible fatherhood is welcome, overdue and misleadingly incomplete. That America's fathers need to embrace their most important role is no secret. Activist fathers have been try Ed Humphrey President and Publisher Paul V. Carty Executive Editor Cynthia D. Jardon Editorial Page Editor Editorial opinion expressed in the column below is that of the Editorial Board of The Town Talk.

Comment in signed columns, cartoons and letters on this page is the viewpoint of the author. Except for signed columns, contents of other pages in the newspaper have been prepared to be factual, informative, fair and objective. When we err, we will publish a correction. Founded March 17, 1883 EMU MAN! irk ing to make the same claim for decades, without much success. Not all I fathers are trying to be good dads, it goes with- out saying.

But neither n- 7 1 11VfcBWVfcOt are all absent by choice, as Obama's message implied. His plea to fathers came on Father's Day, a time we usually reserve for praising good men. Noting the plague of fatherless homes, he called YOUR MAIL Kathleen Parker kparkerkparker.com OUR VIEW Talk of the town: looking for a veto and for a hero BOOS: To Gov. Bobby Jindal, for backpedal-ing (so far) on his campaign promise to "prohibit legislators from giving themselves pay raises that take effect before the subsequent election." That's what Jindal said in person and in writing during his campaign to become governor. The Legislature last week voted to double the pay of senators and representatives, effective July 1.

The bill also provides pay raises every time members of the U.S. Congress get raises. Jindal says he won't sign the bill, but he won't kill it either. We are at the 11th hour, Governor. Do the right thing.

BEADS: To the Central Louisiana lawmakers who voted against the legislative pay raise that has been forwarded to Gov. Jindal: Sen. Joe McPherson, D-Woodworth Sen. Gerald Long, R-Winnfield Sen. Neil Reiser, R- Columbia Rep.

Lowell C. Hazel, R-Pineville Rep. Christopher J. Roy D-Alexandria Rep. James K.

Armes III, D-Leesville Rep. Billy Chandler, D-Dry Prong Rep. Dorothy Sue Hill, D-Dry Creek Rep. Frank A. Howard, R-Many Rep.

Robert A. Johnson, D-Marksville BOOS: To the Central Louisiana lawmakers who voted for the legislative pay raise: Sen. John R. Smith, D-Leesville Sen. Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte Sen.

Francis Thompson, D-Delhi Rep. Herbert Dixon, D-Alexandria Rep. John F. "Andy" Anders, D-Vidalia Rep. Ricky L.

Nowlin, R-Natchitoches BEADS: To the Rapides Parish Police Jury for beginning the process of considering the future of the Rapides Parish Coliseum. The building and grounds are in bad The most important question is whether the building has outlived its usefulness. The coliseum sits on prime property on booming La. Highway 28 West. At the same time, the city of Alexandria is assessing the viability of the city-owned Riverfront Center and talking about opportunities for new venues.

The parish and the city have a shared interest in all aspects of this discussion. BEADS: To Alexandria Police Officer Josh Daigle, whose story of triumph over a diagnosis of cerebral palsy and a series of surgeries to realize his dream of becoming a police officer should be an inspiration to all. Dreams do come true with dedication, hard work and determination. Well done. BEADS: To communities surrounding Fort Polk and Camp Beauregard who formalized their long-standing support for the military installations by signing the 11th Army Community Covenant.

The partnership between military institutions and communities is designed to improve the quality of life for soldiers and their families. Get people's attention I read "Your View" in the Friday, June about our presidential candidates. Perhaps in the case of the use of Social Security trust funds for other than they are intended, more government would help. That is, why not send the IRS to the appropriate fiduciary's house to seize it. Lock the doors and leave the kids on the street just as a couple of people I know had their home taken wnen they failed to heed my advice regarding improper use of employee withholding taxes.

At least with the two cases I know of, the government got the money due and then some. More importantly, they got my former client's attention. Glenn Gilmore Alexandria Hidden license plates a problem Well, there have been a few good articles about the implementation of traffic cameras. I say it is a good idea but we need to look at something else here the increasing number of "hidden" license plates. People are removing their license plates and putting them inside their vehicles.

Sometimes, the windows are tinted so dark a policeman cannot even see if the people inside are pulling a gun on him while he is walking up to check their license. It is as simple as that. For whatever reason a license plate theft problem or trying to keep your identity hidden or maybe the plate does not even belong to that car, there are many cars roaming Alexandria and you cannot see their license plates. If a policeman cannot see the license plate through the darkly tinted window, how can a traffic camera see the license plate of a possible traffic violator? Now, if the City Council and mayor can just read this, this may be something to think about. Ronald D.

Kiehl Alexandria Killing animals is not 'cool' I thought I was the only one being repulsed by the Sunday Town Talk's feature page showing pictures of children posing with their "kill." Ann Hall's letter of June 14 tells me I am not alone. Her letter said it well and expressed the same disgust I feel about this regular feature glorifying killing animals for fun, trophies and fame. What I find most despicable is the apparent ritual of smearing the kids' faces with blood and then having them pose supporting the head of the dead animal. Are we supposed to believe that there was a great battle and this is the triumphant victor standing over the vanquished foe? When did this callous practice become fashionable in this area? The fact that there is a regular Sunday page featuring pictures of children showing off dead animals tells me that there are lots of sick-minded adults around here and they are perpetuating a new generation in their likeness. The more civilized elements of our society should help these kids learn that what they are doing and seeing others do is not "cool" no matter who tells them it is.

Anita Hines McLellan Boyce Let them eat camel Using the saying. "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you" I suggest that if OPEC charges us $137 or more for a barrel of oil, then return the favor by charging them $137 for a barrel of grain. Then while we are walking, they can barbecue camels for food. Linda Watson Alexandria It's scary out there My husband and I were on our way to shop Saturday and a car pulled out in front of us, causing my husband to slam on the breaks. I reached over and honked the horn.

The driver of the car stopped his car in the middle of a busy street and got out and yelled at us, obviously under the influence of something, and he kept his right hand hidden. What do you do in a situation like that? I felt so guilty for causing a scene, but if my husband would have hit the other driver we would have been punished. Are we supposed to write down the license plate number and call the police? Do we follow the car and risk getting hurt? Is the crime in Alexandria that bad? Any advice would be helpful, as my hom gets plenty of exercise. Kimberfy Luneau Alexandria on fathers who have abandoned their responsibilities to act like men, not boys. Hear, hear.

We pause briefly to ponder the kind of response Obama might nave received had he decided to criticize negligent moms on Mother's Day. Double standards are sometimes allowed for the greater good. We cut Obama slack because has message is so urgent. We also know that the African-American community has been hardest hit by father absence. In Obama's words: "We know that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households, a number that has doubled since we were children.

We know the statistics that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and 20 times more likely to endup in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it." Obama is right, but the stats are even worse. More than 70 percent of black children are bom out of wedlock. Since 1960, we've tripled the number of American children living in fatherless homes, from 8 million to 24 million.

The population as a whole increased just 1.7 times during that period. What Obama fails to mention is mat the problem of absent fathers, especially in the black community, is tied in part to well-intentioned social programs such as domestic violence prevention and child support collections. As I point out in my book, "Save the Males: Why Men Matter; Why Women Should Care," cracking down on deadbeats is one of those guaranteed applause-getters, but most of the fathers of whom Obama is speaking make less than $10,000 a year or are unemployed. Throwing them in jail won't help children much, either financially or psychologically. The truth: Most employed men pay their chila support in full and on time, ana always did, without government prodding.

Clearly, the state has a compelling interest in protecting women and children from abusive men where they exist. But not all charges are legitimate and the state's punitive powers, permitted without due process, are mind-boggling. Once the system is engaged and injunctions issued, even innocent fathers are unlikely to see much of their children. Perhaps never. On Mother's Day, we didn't hear much about women initiating domestic violence, including child abuse, though some studies show that they do more often than men.

That's not a popular statistic for the good reason that women more often than men suffer grave injury and are killed in physical disputes. Those two dueling facts highlight the lose-lose nature of the domestic violence debate. But if prevention of violence and preservation of the family are indeed our goals, then the solution involves focusing on the causes of family violence, including women's role, not promising to make things tougher only on fathers. Changing the system won't be easy, but Obama is uniquely positioned to make a difference in the conversation. He should begin by saying that bringing fathers back into the family means ending the demoni-zation of men and the culture's tnvializanon of fatherhood.

That would be a change we could believe in. Your Mail Policy We welcome your opinions on issues of concern to you. For publication, submissions must contain: your name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters must be your original creation and not form letters from special interest groups which you sign and forward. Letters of 200 words or less have a better chance of publication.

Letters may be edited for length, accuracy and clarity. Send to: Your Mail, The Town Talk, P.O. Box 7558, Alexandria, LA 71306; fax to (318) 487-6488; send e-mail to: yourmailthetowntalk.com. Submissions to The Town Talk may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms. Obama economic policies look a lot like socialism ment doesn't cure poverty.

It merely sets up barriers that ensure that too many poor people will remain locked in poverty. They are encouraged to vote for Democrats, if they want to keep receiving "benefits." In his classic work "Self-Reliance," Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till." How many read Emerson today in schools that graduate multitudes who can't read, write, or do basic math? Who teaches self-reliance? It's all about relying on government as our keeper. America once was a country of overcomers. Today, we are not about overcoming. The successful are not studied to see how they succeeded.

Their stories of overcoming obstacles are not told, at least in their totality. And then because they studied hard, didn't take drugs, developed character, learned business principles and succeeded, they are told their wealth must be taken from them by Obama and his legion of envious thieves to spread around to those who made wrong decisions. Obama's economic doctrine subsidizes people who make wrong decisions and does little to encourage them to make right ones. Failure becomes an option, the flip side of success. One can make money either way.

and family decisions that improve their chances for success. This is boilerplate wealth redistribution, an economic philosophy at the center of the former Soviet Union. Obama and Democrats wish to embrace it now in order to make more people dependent on government, rather than encourage people to rely on themselves and the opportunity America offers to most citizens, even illegal aliens. Guaranteed equal outcome is socialism. America was built on and sustained by a "can do" spirit.

Today, too many are taught a "can't do" spirit They are told that because of factors over which they have no control race, class, poverty it is impossible for them to do anything for themselves and so they must increasingly rely on government. Govern "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death." Auntie Mame In today's political climate, a liberal Auntie Mame might say that life is a banquet, which the government must pay for, and that those who can't afford a place at the table should behave like it was an all-you-can eat buffet. This is the view of Barack Obama. In ah interview with The Wall Street Journal, Obama expounded on the economic policies he would pursue as president. Among other things, he is concerned about the "winner-take-all" economy where, he says, "the gains from economic growth skew heavily toward the wealthy." Actually, the gains from economic growth can skew toward anyone willing to work hard and make personal FROM THE PAST 25 Years Ago in The Town Talk June 23.

1983 Bee sting victim: Nellie Craft, who had "stopped breathing and turned blue," was revived by Darryl White, who went to her rescue in downtown Alexandna about 8:30 a m. Wednesday. 50 Years Ago in The Town Talk June 23. 1958 Strike ends: More than 100 striking Alexandria painters ended their 11 -day-old walkout today and prepared to return to work with a 60-cent per day wage increase. 100 Years Ago in The Town Talk June 23.

1908 On the record: The names of all the children and who participate in the Living American Flag, are to be preserved in the city records, as the children who did not back out made the flood year memorable by keeping alive the "Spirit of Seventy-Six" on the Four of Juty. Cal Thomas Tribune Media Services www.calthomas.com Two observations from another era in which the word "entitlement" referred more to liberty than to someone else's earnings, ring true today. Both are from Calvin Coolidge. First, "Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong" and "The wise and correct course to follow in taxation and in all other economic legislation is not to destroy those who have already secured success, but to create conditions under which everyone will have a better chance to be successful." "flunk you. Maybe our cars will last longer now.

The city is listening to the citizens." doodyman, commenting on "Construction work to result in lane closures on Heyman Lane" at www.thetowntatk.com Read and post Story Chat comments at www.thetowntalk.com Ill 4.