Text The Times.

Text The Times.

870-225-1456

Here’s what everyone is talking about this week:

I don’t know how much of my taxes goes to the roads but is there any way I can make my check out to designate it to fix the POT HOLE on the road going out of West Memphis by the railroad tracks? [ Editor’s Note: You know, you’re probably joking, but I wonder if it would be possible to set up our tax code so that at least a certain portion of the taxes we pay personally could be earmarked for a specific purpose? Not all of it, because there’s a certain amount of money that the government needs to operate lesser-known departments and services, but just some.

Kind of like in church, where you put your money in the offering plate, and sometimes you designate in the memo line that it’s for the building fund or the mission trip or whatever. It’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard] ***

When I was growing up, girls were scared to sleep around, because if word got out, she’d certainly be labeled as a dirty slut. But boy oh boy, how times have changed. Nowadays, being a ‘slut’ is not only acceptable, it’s admired!! Think about it for a second … Who are the female icons of today? Kim Kardashian… Miley Cyrus… Paris Hilton… Amber Rose… Kim and Paris both have leaked sex tapes! (Some say they leaked it on purpose!) And yet, these superstars are imitated and revered by young women everywhere. What does it say about the moral fabric of this generation?

[ Editor’s Note: I was kind of on the fence about even running this ( Is “ slut” acceptable vernacular?

We’re all adults here, I guess), but you raise enough of a point I wanted to comment on this topic.

You see, I remember being a teenage boy, and I chased after my share of teenage girls. Now, by high school, there were certain girls that had developed reputations as “ good” girls and “ bad” girls. Now, that standard was never really applied to the boys ( and still isn’t, but that’s a topic for another day). I doubt very much has changed in the past 30 years, except, as you mention, that in some circles, it’s “ not only acceptable, it’s admired” to be, well I don’t want to use labels here, but let’s just say, a little more of a “ fun girl,” to borrow from the Andy Griffith Show in a reference no one under 40 will get. And it probably wouldn’t bother me that much, since my girl- chasing days are long behind me, but I do have a daughter who will be turning 13 in a couple of months. And while I’m well aware that some day she’ll grow up and get married and have kids of her own, I am not at all looking for-ward to all the things that will go into having a teenage daughter for the next seven years in regard to her dating and having to deal with teenage boys… remembering all too well how I once was one. The best advice I can give you would be to keep an open line of communication with your children during these impressionable times. And I think another piece of infor-mation I would pass on is that your kids are going to look up to someone, and if it’s not you, it could be Kim Kardashian, so make the effort]

*** What’s the fuss all about with the guy who has the composting business? That’s the price you pay for living out in the country. You don’t want the smells of the rural life, move to the city. Problem solved! You can’t keep someone from making a living!!! [ Editor’s Note: While I’m certain I’d have a stronger opinion on this if it directly affected me, it doesn’t, so I’m on your side on this one. It reminds me of a case in Florida where a man sued his neighbor because he could smell the meat cooking his grill. The guy was a Vegan or something and the odor offended him. If you have “ no tolerance to the fragrances of nature,” like that old fella from Road House put it, why are you living in a rural area in the first place, right? Again, I don’t have a dog in this fight, so I guess the best thing I can say is let the guy have his say and make a decision based on existing ordinance]