Free enterprise makes U.S.A. great

Keep the faith, fellow citizens. Don't let the doom and gloom created in Washington and exacerbated by the media naysayers get you down.

Sure, it's easy to get depressed when constantly bombarded with bad news: the struggling economy, record unemployment, overwhelming deficit, beyond-belief home mortgage foreclosures and all the other problems that are “Bush's fault.”

The truth is that we live in a country to be proud of and to be thankful for. Especially when we consider the single most important factor that has made this nation great. It's our “free enterprise” system, which continues to survive, if not thrive.

Yes, the success of private enterprise prevails in spite of the fact that we are subjected to the most incompetent administration in our history.

Our network of independent businesses — the private sector — is responsible for the scientific and modern advancements that once made our country the world leader. Look beyond our major corporations. Look at the multitude of small individual entrepreneurs, prominent in every community. Some have failed, but most continue to cope and prevail, in spite of excessive tax burdens, over-regulation and unnecessary paperwork, dumped upon them by our “out of touch” government.

Many of us have worked hard, been productive, earned a living and achieved some degree of personal success, so we have reason to be frustrated with the incompetence of government, especially at the national level.

It is unconscionable that we are governed by many who've never had a real job at any level of business, never hired and fired, created a business plan, developed a sales forecast or expense budget. How can we have people running our country who might not qualify for an entry-level position in many of our private enterprise businesses? It's a point to ponder.

Richard Doran

Parachute

Hemmen ‘has a style all her own'

I am very upset with what has been going on with Mrs. Hemmen. The way in which this case has been handled is immoral and unethical, to say the least. The reaction and effect on the children was evidently not considered in this decision.

We, as parents, and especially our children, need to know and understand with an explanation of why Mrs. Hemmen was placed on leave and what wrong-doing she is accused of that was so bad that constitutes her possible dismissal.

This reasoning has to be more justified than a mere dislike for someone's management. Personal dislike has no place in making decisions regarding our children's future.

I have only been here since October, moving from Alabama. Even though the principals in the past have been near and dear to my heart, there has only been one other principal who has even came close to meeting the dedication of Mrs. Hemmen. (I have four children ranging in ages from 19 to 7).

Her energy, determination and excitement in our meetings supersede any I have ever seen before in getting the help she so desperately needs for the children.

The bottom line is she deeply cares for our children, and she repeats that to us over and over, not only in word, but in deed. The childrens' interest is No. 1 in her book.

So what, if her management style is different? She has a style all her own. She was placed in the position for a purpose. Someone saw she would be good for our children and hired her for her talent. This talent supersedes any I have ever seen.

My children's lives have been turned upside down again, as a result of someone's actions toward Mrs. Hemmen. She would not be a part of this if she had the choice.

Teressa Byrd

Glenwood Springs