Dec 17, 2012 3 min read

It seems everything today is out of proportion. Sports figures, movie and television personalities are being paid millions of dollars. Government officials are well paid with health care and pensions to take care of them for life, not to mention all the perks they get. CEOs in large companies are way overpaid for the services we get. Even other countries that hate us receive billions of dollars from the United States, all this while millions of people here are suffering losses due to storms, unemployment and now talks about cutbacks on Medicare and Social Security.

I am one of the lucky ones who was able to retire with a pension thanks to my union brothers and sisters demanding a decent way of life to support my family. Today, there is a big push to destroy organized labor so the rich can get even richer.

I grew up when shows on TV made you laugh. Today, it seems that someone is trying to make us believe that what used to be normal is not normal anymore. Sex, any kind of sex, is normal. Violence is so realistic and common on television and on video games that when we hear about real-life tragedy in the news, we seem to accept it as normal. Do you leave your doors unlocked at home when you go out or even when you are in your home? Today, a large number of people have weapons in their homes to protect their families from intruders. It is a tough thing to tell a child to be aware of strangers.

Let’s get back to reality and not be afraid to say what is right and what is wrong. People are afraid to offend someone if they speak up and say what is the proper thing to do. If you do not believe in God, that’s OK, but don’t try to take it away from others. I just don’t understand what is wrong with teaching people to get along with each other, helping people in need and giving of your time for others, which is what the church is all about. I would hate to see the pope out of a job some day and the church going out of business. After all, they do teach us to be good people, not what society teaches us today – to be greedy and get for yourself all that you can, even if it means destroying others.

Fortunately, there are a lot of good people around us that still believe in what is good for all of us and our country. Keep the faith, and keep up the good work.

Fred Kennedy

North Strabane Township