News should not have given attention to Berry pregnancy

News should not have given attention to Berry pregnancy

I am writing in response to the AP article you published on Oct. 3, 2007. The article appeared in Section C, the entertainment section, under the title “Halle Berry talks about her pregnancy and hopes for another.”

I am very disappointed that you chose to give so much attention to this story. Coming from the community and circumstance surrounding the story, the event may appear to be glamorous and exciting, but in reality it is very sad and telling.

The woman in the story has been “married” twice before, and I assume without having children because there is no mention of children in the article. If this is the case, she is now 41 years old and without a child. Childbearing is one of woman’s greatest achievements in life. The longer childbearing is not achieved, the more difficult womanhood becomes. Wealth and fame, as in this case, cannot replace the absence of motherhood.

Does it matter who gives the male reproductive material? Apparently not in this case. The man who participated in this relationship is Berry’s “boyfriend.” I know she said that she felt “married, in a way, than I ever have in two marriages before.” The term “boyfriend” describes their relationship. She was asked what was her first thought when she thought of this man, and she said, “My first thought is, my baby’s daddy.”

Can a “boyfriend” be a father? Biologically, yes; but not paternally. Not all men can become a patriarch to a family. How long will the “boyfriend” be around? What will the child call this man? If he is a father to the child, why would he not want to be a husband to the mother of his child?

Our society cannot be built on boyfriends and girlfriends having children.

Tom Tippett
Opelika

Financial meltdown can be traced back to Reagan era

I’ve been waiting for our local conservatives to offer an explanation for the looming financial meltdown on Wall Street. How could such a thing happen under the wise stewardship of George W. Bush? No doubt the Reverend Wright has been conspiring behind the scenes.

Here’s my no-doubt overly simple explanation. It all goes back to the poisonous and powerful legacy of Ronald Reagan. For Reagan, “govamint” could do nothing right; it was the enemy, to be downsized, if not eliminated. Starve this beast — cut taxes to force government to shrink. Under Reagan, this led, if you’ll remember, not to smaller government but to huge budget deficits, just as under our current president, a chump of the same philosophy.

And deregulation was an important part of the downsizing. Let’s get govamint off our backs! Republicans shouted. Throughout his career, John McCain has been one of these shouters. So it would be amusing, if it were not so serious, that McCain and others are now shocked at the wreckage their efforts have caused. What would you expect to happen when deregulators are in charge of regulations?

McCain’s explanation is that “greed” is to blame. Greed. Why, our entire economic system is and always has been based on greed! That’s the dirty secret behind “the magic of the market.” His advisor, Carly Fiorina, after running her company into the ground, parachuted away with a golden $42 million. At the time, this impressed John McCain.

D.W. St. John
Auburn

Don’t depend upon government, depend upon yourself

Every evening, I come home to my little family from work. My hands and clothes are decorated with the dirt, sweat and grime I collected throughout the day. My wife and I both have blue-collar jobs that at times, I admit, we are reluctant to see too. However, when the sweet image of our little daughter comes to mind, it gives us the motivation we need to put in an honest day’s work.

Today’s economic times and the rising cost of fuel have indeed placed a strain on our finances. At the end of the month, we have very little if not any money left. A bump in the highway of life could have a profound effect on our family, no doubt.

My daddy once told me many years ago, “Nobody really cares about you at the end of the day. You cannot depend on no one but yourself … not even me, because one day I will not always be around.”

It is very unfortunate that many of us turn to the government for answers when things do not go right in our lives.

Politicians in Washington care only about themselves.

I have learned when finances are short and health insurance is scarce, the first place I turn to is a mirror. When life throws me a curveball, I look into a mirror and say, “Your life and your destiny are up to you. Yes, things are not good, but I can take this problem and mold into an opportunity to strengthen me and my family.”

The government does not owe me anything except to provide a secure place for me to provide all the needs for my family.

Do not place your future into the hands of a “change you can believe in” politician. Look into a mirror and place your destiny into that person’s hands.

William “Bubba” Dupree
Opelika