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A10 • CAMPBELL COMMUNITY RECORDER • OCTOBER 17, 2013
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Marc Emral, memral@communitypress.com, 578-1053
EDITORIALS | LETTERS | COLUMNS | CH@TROOM
CommunityPress.com
FAVORITE TEACHER
Newport Central Catholic High School graduates, Maria Howard (1996), Cindy Venable Feeback (1991), Julie Brierly Bramel (1996), and Christy Mariani Petroze (1992), met up with former NewCath science teacher John Kelly at Benton Farms. Kelly began volunteering there after retiring from NCC. The women were there on a field trip with the St. Therese first- and second-grade classes. Cindy Feeback teaches second grade at St. Therese. THANKS TO MARY CIAFARDINI
Haters should keep speaking up
Why does government spend so much? Because we love to fix just about everything and we think we can. Government is one of the natural ways we do this together. This alone, however, would not be enough to cause us to continue spending so much more money than we’re bringing in. Now that we’re nearly $17 trillion in debt, our spending equation relies primarily on something else. On Oct. 10, The Enquirer highlighted it nicely. As part of a column extolling the virtues of Obamacare, the author of this banner piece punctuated her argument with a typical one sentence attack, “A vote to defund, delay or repeal the Affordable Care Act is unequivocally a vote to harm women.” The accusation got me a bit worked up. I like to be liked. I love the women in my life – my mother, wife, daughter and sisters-in-law with all my heart. I represent women in my law practice. Heck, I even love my mother-in-law. I might be a hater and I didn’t even know it! But it gets worse. I’ve been told that my Obamacare concerns make me want people to get sick and die, which, let’s face it, probably makes me even worse than a hater. Today, if you’re
worried about debt and you tend to favor limited government, you’re not just against sick people and women. If you think that Social Security disability benefits are out of control (with benefit Rob Hudson awards going through COMMUNITY the roof), get ready, RECORDER GUEST COLUMNIST you actually want to harm disabled people. If you are concerned about increased deficit spending for more government programs, get ready, you actually want to harm the poor and children. If you oppose increased deficit spending for more free tuition for college, get ready, you actually want to harm students and young people. If you believe that raising the minimum wage will curb entry level job growth, get ready, you want to hurt the poor. If you support Medicare or Social Security reform, you want to harm older Americans – but you already knew this one. If you believe that tax hikes will hurt job growth, you want to help the
rich and hurt the poor. There you go again. If you think people should come to the country lawfully before they receive benefits funded by taxpayers, you’re against minorities. Why is this tactic so effective? It’s an easy sentence to say or write. They coined the phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me” before the advent of the Internet and social media. The “hater” is left to defend, at some length, against a tactic which can demonize and silence. Here’s a better idea. On both sides, respect everyone in the process and listen to their arguments. Present cogent points about how and why proposals should or should not be funded, without lowest common denominator shots. Meanwhile, wrongly accused haters, I hope you will keep speaking up. America needs robust debate. The kitchen will remain hot, but you’re an essential part of our democracy. Rob Hudson is an attorney and partner with Frost Brown Todd LLC in Florence and the author of a business and political book “A Better Tomorrow.”
Scholarship honors two in drug battle Since 2010, I have traveled across the commonwealth speaking to students about the dangers of prescription drug abuse through our Keep Kentucky Kids Safe program, an ongoing effort to help stop a problem that is plaguing many Kentucky families. I have heard the heartbreaking stories from students who have lost loved ones to prescription drug overdoses and I have grieved with far too many parents who have lost children the very same way. Dr. Karen Shay and Mike Donta are two of those parents. Sarah Shay, 19, of Morehead died of a prescription drug overdose in 2006, and 24-year-old Michael Donta of Ashland lost his battle with prescription painkiller abuse in 2010. Since their passing, Karen and Mike have been instrumental in the success of our Keep Kentucky Kids Safe program. So far, they have helped me educate more than 25,000 students, teachers and parents all over the commonwealth about this dangerous addiction, and they’ve shared the stories of their own losses. I cannot imagine the pain these two parents have lived through, but their passion for reaching out to students about the dangers of prescription drug abuse is inspiring.
That’s why I was proud to announce that, in memory of their children, two high school seniors affected by prescription drug abuse will now have an opportunity for a secJack Conway ond chance. In September, my office, along COMMUNITY RECORDER GUEST with the National AssoCOLUMNIST ciation of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI), the Prosecutors Advisory Council, and Karen and Mike, unveiled the details of two $1,500 scholarships that eligible students can apply for now. In May 2014, the Sarah Shay and Michael Donta Memorial Scholarships for Hope and Healing will be awarded to one young man and one young woman who have excelled in their personal and academic endeavors despite seeing their family adversely affected by the dangers of prescription drug abuse. This scholarship program was actually Karen’s idea. She called my office after some of her friends and colleagues sold T-shirts as a fundraiser for the Keep Kentucky Kids Safe program because they knew how special it was to her. Karen and Mike have both lost
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their children, but they are fighting to help make sure other parents don’t experience the same reality. You can learn more about the scholarships by visiting our website at ag.ky.gov/rxabuse. While visiting the website, middle and high school students can also learn how to get involved in our annual video PSA competition. As part of the competition, students produce a 30-second video showing the risks of prescription drug abuse. The winners also receive great prizes donated by NADDI and the Kentucky Pharmacists Association. This competition is just one component of our statewide initiative to warn Kentucky kids about the devastating consequences of prescription drug abuse. I encourage students to participate, and I am looking forward to all of the great and informative videos that will be produced. Our young people need to realize that it is never okay to take a prescription pill that isn’t prescribed to them by a doctor. Jack Conway its the Kentucky Attorney General. Follow him on Twitter @kyoag, visit the attorney general’s Facebook page or view videos on his YouTube channel.
228 Grandview Drive, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017 654 Highland Ave., Fort Thomas, KY 41075 phone: 283-0404 email: kynews@communitypress.com web site: www.nky.com
Are you really listening? I am always amazed when I can be standing three feet away from my husband, or one of my children, say something that I feel is worth listening to, have them acknowledge with a head roll or slight moan, and later find that they had no idea that we had a conversation at all. I use the word conversation very loosely in those instances. My point is: how can someone look at you, answer a question – albeit with a nod – and not remember doing so? What can be even more frustrating is when those conversations include phrases like, “don’t forget,” “you really need to do this or that,” and “it’s important.” I’ve come to realize that it’s not that my children and/or husband have difficulty focusing, it’s just that sometimes when I want to talk, Julie House what they’re doing COMMUNITY seems more imporRECORDER GUEST COLUMNIST tant or pressing to them at the time. And giving their full attention to both is nearly impossible. The game they’re playing or the show they’re watching takes center stage and drifts off into their long-term memory where they can remember and reminisce about it with friends or one another for eternity. Meanwhile, my urging to clean a room, pick up a dirty sock, or pick up a child from violin practice takes a back seat, drifting into the short-term memory, soon to be lost for eternity. Although my husband has never forgotten a child at violin, we have had to “rehash” weekly schedules, to ensure we were both on the same page. And if I am honest, my husband and children aren’t the only ones who have had to say, “Did we talk about this?” It causes me to wonder, How often has God had to “rehash” his plans for me, when my focus was elsewhere? How many times has he told me, “don’t forget,” “you really need to do this or that,” and “this is really important?” My husband is notorious around our house for saying, “If you would have just listened the first time ...,” and it’s so true. If they would listen the first time, there would be no negative consequences. No privileges taken away, and no guilt or sorrow. How true this must be for you and me as well. If we would just listen to the initial promptings of the Holy Spirit, we could bathe in the privileges and promises of God. We could avoid the negative consequences and guilt and sorrow that so often come with “not listening the first time.” But how can I hear the Holy Spirit when my mind is so filled with other things? Use the method I use on my children. “Put down the remote, iPad or book and look at me and listen very closely.” Try it on your heavenly father. Put down the remote, book or iPad, turn to him, ask him to speak and listen very closely. As you do, remember what Jesus promised in his word, “When he, the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13) May you be blessed in the coming week, with a very clear “chore list” from your heavenly father. And upon accomplishing all your tasks experience an abundant “allowance” of his provisions, mercy and love. Julie House is a former resident of Campbell County and graduate of Newport Central Catholic and NKU. She is also the founder of Equipped Ministries, a Christ-centered health and wellness program with a focus on weight loss. She can be reached at 859-8028965 or on Facebook.com/EquippedMinistries.
Campbell Community Editor Marc Emral memral@communitypress.com, 578-1053 Office hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday See page A2 for additional contact information.