Our Opinion | May 20, 2013
Two small taxes could bring about big, welcome changes
With the latest Washington scandals, there is renewed outrage directed toward the Internal Revenue Service. But if knee-jerk outrage can be avoided, there are two new taxes that would not only raise needed revenue, but also would likely bring about changes that would benefit most Americans.

Our Opinion | May 18, 2013
Cheers & Jeers . . .
Butler School Board member Helene Abramowitz says “people spend $85 a week on beer and cigarettes. Why can't they spend $35 a year on education?” She made that statement at a board meeting on Monday.

Our Opinion | May 17, 2013
Targeting DUIs is worthwhile; lower BAC not best approach
Hoping to reduce the terrible toll of drunken driving accidents, the National Transportation Safety Board has suggested lowering the legal limit for blood alcohol while driving to .05, down from the current .08 level. The BAC limit was lowered to .08 from .1 in the early 2000s and the percentage of traffic fatalities involving alcohol fell from about 50 percent to about 35 percent.

Our Opinion | May 16, 2013
Moniteau understandably shaken over sexual assaults
The arrest of a Moniteau High School teacher on sexual assault charges has understandably shaken the Moniteau community. Jonathan Crum, who had taught 11th-grade English and European history and was an assistant football coach, is accused of being sexually inappropriate with five current and former female students during the past four years.

Our Opinion | May 15, 2013
Scandals bog down White House, recall past abuses by government
The Internal Revenue Service has never been a popular federal agency. Tasked with collecting federal income taxes, the IRS is often the object of taxpayer anger, which in most cases is misplaced since the overly complex tax code is the fault of Congress, not the IRS.

Our Opinion | May 14, 2013
Butler Co. must continue to support Reality Tour
No one ever will know how many young lives the Reality Tour has saved over the past 10 years by steering students away from using illegal drugs.