Sound Off for Dec. 12
An atheist rights group wants the Nativity scene removed from the Courthouse. Now we need some church group(s) to step up and say they want it to remain there. Let's see who wins here, God-loving people, or the PC group.
A worthy cause
I read in a recent article where the Jackson County Board of Supervisors gave the Chevron refinery a tax break by reducing Chevron's taxes on an expansion from $14.3 million in taxes down to $4.2 million -- a savings of $10.1 million. Chevron is not going anywhere and they are not going to shut down without these tax breaks. The $10.1 million in taxes could have been used to help fund the deficient Singing River Hospital retirees' pension.
Never mind
Hey, Gulf Coast leaders, why not pool some of the millions and millions of BP settlement money and build us another badly needed east-west roadway (possibly elevated by the railroad tracks)? Oh wait, that would make too much sense.
A widening gap
There is a continuous call for tax cuts from our state leaders, but it has been shown over and over that tax cuts don't work; look at what happened in Louisiana. If you reduce state revenue, there are consequences. Charlie Mitchell said it best in his column a few days ago: Republicans now totally control the state and can give government money to their business pals through tax cuts and punish the poor by reducing their benefits to try to make up for the cuts. Same thing is happening on a national basis. Reward the rich and punish the poor. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, wages continue to stagnate.
Built on separation
Over and over, Bible Belt, evangelicals, fundamentalist Protestant Christians assert that America was built on Christian principles. No offense intended, but America was built on separation of church and state. A real and not imagined fact.
Fought for freedoms
So a group wants the Nativity scene removed from the Harrison County courthouse. I am a Christian and proud of it. I am not offended by seeing the symbol of another religion different from my own, so why should nonbelievers think they have that right over mine? Do Christians protest and threaten other religions for their beliefs and symbols? What right do they have to impose restrictions on my beliefs? I spent 24 years in the military doing my small part to protect our freedoms, and I am tired of these groups trying to destroy what millions have fought and died to protect.
This story was originally published December 11, 2015 at 9:23 PM with the headline "Sound Off for Dec. 12 ."