JOPLIN, Mo. —
George Washington chose the site. John Adams was first to move in. It was burned by the British in 1814, rebuilt and reoccupied by James Monroe.
Abraham Lincoln saved the union in it. Teddy Roosevelt coined its current "official" name. William Howard Taft created its "Oval Office" and Missouri's own Harry S. "the buck stops here" Truman oversaw a complete restoration.
It was "Camelot" under John and Jackie. A crook named Richard Nixon sullied it, Jimmy Carter turned it solar, and Ronald Reagan made it a shining light on the hill. The Clintons tried to take its furniture, a Bush reassured a nation the night of 9/11, and Barack Obama made Lincoln's dream a reality.
"It" is the symbol of American power. "It" is the White House - the "people's house."
But as of now, the visitor information line for "your" house is imparting: "Due to staffing reductions resulting from sequestration, we regret to inform that White House tours will be canceled effective Saturday, March 9, 2013," even though White House tours are mainly self-guided and much of the work is done by volunteers.
Such a message is in spite of the fact that 139 of the 468 reported White House staff positions pay over $100,000 a year. There's an executive clerk position that pulls down $140,000. Two assistants earn over $100,000 each, and three calligraphers take in a combined $277,000 and change. And just three weeks ago, hundreds of thousands of dollars of the "people's money" paid for a presidential golf outing and a first lady ski trip.
Yet thousands of families and schoolchildren on their own trips will find the doors closed.
You should reconsider your decision, Mr. President. If not for you - if not for now - then at least for the history of the strong, the proud, the "people's house."
Opinion
Our View: Still the people's house?
- Opinion
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Our View: Finding the way forward
Communication failures and the lack of a clear mission have given rise to turmoil and discord at Missouri Southern State University. The antidote to this is openness, frankness and the articulation of a well-defined purpose as the school moves forward.
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Your View: Finding audience for Bard
It was interesting to see Globe columnist Mike Pound’s recollection of college studies of the Bard of Avon in association with the upcoming production of “Macbeth.”
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Your View: Shifting opinions
I have a suggestion for a Joplin Globe feature. Reprint all the letters and columns from years past that were in favor of the Patriot Act and how people who showed any concern over it “wanted the terrorists to win.”
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James Whitford, guest columnist: New definition needed
I remember meeting a man on the main road through Fond Parisien, a small community on the eastern side of Haiti.
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Our View: Connecting the town
Well before the 2011 tornado, Joplin had a problem with “connectivity.” That’s right. The flow of traffic — whether it be cars, pedestrians or bicyclists — has been a sore spot with us for years.
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Your View: Bold leadership needed
Dear City Council Members, Let me first thank you for your service to our community.
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Other Views: Debt of honor
In Afghanistan, the Taliban have promised to kill Afghans who worked for the Americans and their families. In Iraq, similar threats were made by radical Islamic insurgents.
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Herb Van Fleet, guest columnist: Big Brother is always watching and listening
Sen. Church made that statement 38 years ago. He chaired a committee that was formed to develop legislation to rein in the CIA, FBI, NSA and other intelligence agencies, which had been operating outside the bounds of the law, including the Constitution.
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Jury still out on whistle-blower’s actions
Whether you see Edward Snowden as a hero, a traitor or something in between, there is no denying that the admitted “leaker” has opened up an industrial-size can of National Security Agency worms.
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Trish Patton, guest columnist: Downtown group needs stakeholders' support
On Tuesday the Downtown Joplin Alliance (DJA) tabled the Community Improvement District (CID) initiative.
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