The city of Jackson should be very proud of the Murrah High School Concert Singers. I have heard this outstanding group on two or three occasions, most recently at our church Christmas concert. Their a cappella renditions were fantastic, and their accompaniment of Guy Hovis' solo “Mary Did You Know?” blew my Christmas socks off. They have competed nationally, and plan to represent their school and Jackson in an international festival in Italy next year. They need all the support we can give.
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When an early British politician had his portrait painted he instructed the artist to "paint me as I am, warts and all." President Trump certainly has his warts. For example, he has never been accused of having an overabundance of tact. But the Left can see nothing but warts. Every legislative move he has made so far has been met by unanimous opposition from Democrats. They have described his latest tax proposals as tax cuts for the rich. They cannot stand the thought that he would do anything for the middle class, which they consider belongs to them. But it was the rust belt that turned the tide in the last election. Both increasing the standard deduction and taking actions to create jobs help the middle class. Simplifying the tax code also helps. Trump is not beholden to special interests who are largely responsible for the thousands of pages in the current code. Also the Left has always claimed the black vote. Therefore President Trump's visit to Mississippi as part of our 200th year celebrations was a problem to them. This visit shows Trump's willingness to reach out to the black community. That's not a wart.
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In recent weeks much has been written about powerful men being accused of sexual harassment. Two thousand years ago Christianity elevated women (examples: Eph. 5v25 and I Cor 7v2,3) when much of the world treated them as chattel. Even today some religions allow men to subjugate females, including their wives. Throughout history women generally have been given inferior education, leading to poorer jobs at lower pay. Now brave women are speaking out against harassment. Congress, I've learned, has a slush fund that members have used to pay off and silence offended females. This has been funded by taxpayers, and therefore the names of those who used it should be made public.
However, I do have a couple of concerns. First, in this country we have the presumption of innocence before a person is condemned. That should still apply. And second, what is there to prevent a couple of disgruntled female employees from ganging up on an innocent boss to destroy him? Hopefully with due process these concerns can be overcome.
Peter Gilderson is a Northsider.
