Editorial

EDITORIAL - Entitlements, More Money

EDITORIAL - Our country is over 22 trillion dollars in debt and growing. Reducing our spending is never easy especially for our government. We have a lot of obligations from Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Defense, Veterans, Infrastructure and more.

There aren't that many places to cut spending on our nation's budget. Social Security eats up about 23 percent of our budget. Our government is supposed to start sending me a check every month in just over a year. After paying into it since I was 18 years old, I would like to collect it. Medicare accounts for 15 percent of our federal budget. I just got my card in the mail so I'm not voting to reduce Medicare benefits. I know what medical bills can do to anyone financially. Over 65 percent of the bankruptcies in America take place over medical issues.

EDITORIAL: America's Wars - Stay forever?

EDITORIAL - Many Americans have cried foul against President Trump for pulling our troops out of Syria and abandoning the Kurds. Yet, I have to ask, do we ever really leave? While many of our troops are now in Iraq some will stay behind in Syria to protect the oil.

Our military, from the United States, is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world with over 170,000 of our active-duty personnel serving in these different countries. We have 38 named bases with active duty, National Guard, reserve, or civilian personnel located in different countries.

EDITORIAL: My Prostate and Thyroid Cancer

EDITORIAL - I never wanted cancer - who does? Within four months I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and prostate cancer. Last October 26, my entire thyroid was removed with four malignant nodules.

I dreaded that surgery because I knew speech and singing complications could happen because of the proximity of the thyroid to the vocal cords. Some people end up with paralyzed vocal cords for a lifetime. The surgeon assured me he would take his time and utilize extreme caution in protecting my vocal cords but reminded me that the cancer had to be the priority.

EDITORIAL: The Power of Forgiveness.

EDITORIAL - Many have watched the powerful television report of Brandt Jean's act of forgiveness toward Amber Guyger who killed his brother Botham Jean. The scene of him hugging her and extending forgiveness toward her has been replayed over and again and invoked a sundry of reactions from across the nation and the Texas community.

The former Dallas police officer Guyger testified that she shot her victim by mistake, in his own apartment while he was eating ice cream. She was sentenced to ten years in prison and many thought it would have been much longer. Allison Jean, the mother of the brothers wrote on her Facebook page to her son Brandt, "Your load is lighter. Regardless of the views of the spectators, walk with God always. Forgiveness is for the forgiver and it doesn't matter what the forgiven does with it. "

EDITORIAL: Turn the Page

EDITORIAL - My dad worked in underground coal mines for about 35 years. He retired and was done with that part of his life. He never sighed that he missed the good old coal mine. He lived 30 more years and he was very active. There is something powerful about putting a period or an exclamation point at the end of one juncture or chapter of life and then beginning a new chapter with the sun burning brighter than ever before.

Some people can't turn the page. It's possible to get stuck in life's thoughts and never be able to create a new state of mind that celebrates life and experiences happiness.

EDITORIAL: Suicide - Are there answers?

EDITORIAL - Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, recently hanged himself in prison. With a lifetime of prison ahead of him he chose suicide over going through another trial, more accusations and a lifetime behind bars.

When comedian Robin Williams killed himself, we were shocked. Williams had been dealing with depression for many years and his mental illness overcame him.

EDITORIAL: Social Media - Too Much? How Much?

EDITORIAL - Social media is just like mom's apple pie, it's not good to eat a whole pie every day. Over three billion people are social media users worldwide. While social media helps keep the world connected, social media addiction is becoming a global problem that keeps growing. As of 2018, one third of the global population used social media.

Internet and social media addictions continue to grow as our dependence on technology increases. Over 210 million people suffer from internet and social media addictions worldwide. A 2018 study found that teens who spend 5 hours per day using their phones were almost twice as likely to exhibit depressive symptoms than counterparts who dedicated only one hour on their phones.