Speakout 12/21

I'm calling in response to the Bored on the Board article and Go Granny Go. I believe I said profit and nonprofit boards in my article. Apparently I must have touched a sore spot with you. Apparently, you have just a little bit of a guilty conscience. And I wanted to see just how up to date you are on your accounting, financial and manufacturing information. When's the last time you went to school and got an update of all the latest accounting and financial information? Insurance, manufacturing, commission on human rights? How long has it been since you served and are you really putting something in to these boards that you serve on? And no, I don't think I am a self-centered person. I am looking out for all of the employees and their families whose livelihoods depend on your decision. You should have up to date information. If you were working out in the public and if you were working in a business, you would be faced with all the new changes, all the new laws and all the new guidelines. I think you are one who likes to go for all the dinners and the recognition in the paper. And, I think I hit on your sore spot. My parents raised me to always do my best, not to be self-centered, but to give my all. I think if you were really giving your all, you would step down and let someone with a more current education, more current training, more on the job training take your place and really do something good for a company. You can serve in a lot of other ways, other than being on the board and getting recognition in the paper. You could go help with these children's toy drives, you could help with the soup kitchen. There's many other things that you could do to serve. I'm just saying a lot of these senior citizens are not up to date. You have health problems, some of you are beginning to get Alzheimers and Dementia. Maybe you're just not your best. And like I say, maybe you are the self-centered person for staying on that board. Why don't you get busy, sister. Help with bingo, the local hospital. Be a pink lady. That's where you could really serve. These high tech jobs and these high tech boards, if you're not still working you are not up to date. I don't care who you are. You can't get it from your newspaper at home and you can't get it from your knitting circles. So take a real deep hard look at who you serve, and all the families that are depending on you. If you're self-centered, you stay on that board. But if you have decency or common sense or anything that was given to you by your parents, then you'll step aside and let someone more qualified step in.

Christ said that if you are ashamed of me, I'll be ashamed of you.

I am a taxpayer in the East Prairie school system and I wonder where the superintendent and the Board of Directors were when another bucket was placed under a leaking roof. I would say that the roof was in need of emergency repair several years ago. Now they are wanting a proposed tax for $1.5 million to repair this roof. No way.

I have been reading SpeakOut over the last several months and have noticed that a lot of people call in and ask questions in the column that they could find out by calling themselves. Instead of picking up the phone and calling and having someone else find out what you want to know, why don't you use the phone to call the proper source and find out yourself? It all goes back to people not wanting to work and letting somebody else do it for you. If you can dial SpeakOut, then surely you can dial whoever it is you need to call.