Christmas not for selfishness

I am absolutely disgusted and frustrated with the Lincoln Journal Star and writer Micah Mertes’ article Dec. 25, “If you’re stuck here, you can still have a perfect Christmas.”

With so many young people who will have time to pick up the paper on Christmas day, why do you tell them that sleeping late, indulging only themselves and ending the day at the bars is a perfect way to celebrate Christmas? 

Christmas is a Christian holiday that emphasizes love, peace and giving to others. Why did this young man not find some way to include service to others in his “perfect day”? There are many places in Lincoln where he might find the opportunity to connect with others on this holiday of love. He might try that sometime and then suggest it to others in his age group. 

I guarantee that he will find more satisfaction in living a day devoted to giving than he will ever find in hanging out in a bar until he has consumed so much he needs to “walk home.”

Journal Star, you must be held accountable for the articles you publish and the impact they have on our youth. Is Micah Mertes speaking for you and your values?

Surely you see that you could be a great teaching tool instead of spreading the “common myth” that all young people are lazy, self-centered and drinking heavily on Christmas night.

You definitely need to correct this mistake!

Mary Schwab, Lincoln

Let’s all slow down a little bit

After being turned away at the movies on Christmas Day because they were sold out, we decided to go home, have a bowl of chili and just relax.

On our venture home, we needed to stop at the Walgreens on South Street to purchase some saltines to go with our meal. At 2:22 p.m. Christmas day, people were frantically grabbing their last-minute items they forgot to buy.

The salespeople were tearing down the Christmas displays at such a fast pace, it seemed to me they were on a speed mission. I couldn’t figure out why they were in such a hurry until I turned around to see the Valentine items being quickly, and I do mean quickly, put on the shelves. 

After months of therapy and Lexapro, I was finally able to diagnose my own neurotic behavior. We don’t even get through one holiday until the next one is thrown in our face.

Priorities have got to change before we all become so materialistic and neurotic that we don’t even stop to smell the roses in life. 

Valarie J. Parris, Lincoln

Democrats are not to blame

If not for the fact that Wayne Simpson is probably serious, his letter (LJS, Dec. 23) would be laughable.

He blames Democrats and Congress for the deficits accumulated by the Bush administration and the Republican-controlled Congress, and the cost of the war in Iraq is not included in any of the yearly deficits since it was not included in any yearly budget.

One has to wonder how the Democrats could be remotely responsible for any of the spending since the Republicans have controlled Congress until January of this year. 

One also has to wonder what planet Simpson has been living on since January 2001, when Bush took office.

His letter reads as though it was taken from the book of Republican talking points written by someone the caliber of Karl Rove.

Richard Geist, Alliance