Ellington

I can identify with Donna Ladd's column, "Lest Ye Be Judged," (Vol. 9, No. 23). There are so many women like your mother just walking around you.

Yes, they are poor, but by choice. I raised six girls (I never had any biological children so you can see that they were stepchildren to me). When they were young, my girls made me so many promises about what they were going to be when they reached their late teens.

Had they kept their promises, I would have a lawyer, a teacher, a nurse, a social worker, etc. But they did not keep their promises, Ms. Ladd. What I got in return was six unwed mothers (who) I call "Welfare Queens." I am not judging them, but I am ashamed of what they turned out to be.

Right at their senior year in high school, they got funny ideas about having children early. I do not understand where these ideas came from.

It seems to me that it was easier to be an ordinary person to them than to achieve a dream of what they could have been.

When the oldest girl got pregnant, the other girls got jealous and got pregnant, too. Only one finished college, and when she graduated, she turned out to be worse than the others. She started chasing married men, birthing two children. Now she's at home with me and (without a) job.

I took blame on myself for a long time. Then they told me: "It wasn't you. You raised us right. We just did what we wanted to do even though it was the wrong thing to do."

When they were young girls, they were so respectful and well behaved. I never would have dreamt that the girls would turn out this way. Now, some are rebounding, but the girls still have terrible taste in the men they choose. Most of the men they choose I would not invite over to have dinner with the rats in the woods. They love men who, along with a little help from them, put them through hell. They seem to love it.

I would tell all parents (that) as children get to be young adults, please do not blame yourself for the problems the children create for themselves. They constantly make wrong choices.
—James Coleman, Jackson

Study Office-Space Needs
Dear Editor:
As one of the senators representing Jackson and Hinds County in the Mississippi Legislature, I read with interest your editorial on the proposal to build a new State Tax Commission building near the intersection of Ridgewood Road and Lakeland Drive ("Let the Private Sector Work" Vol. 9, Issue 31).

I, along with many other Hinds County legislators, opposed building a new $50 million state office building at Lakeland and Ridgewood. This plan was removed from the bill that was passed. I believe state taxpayers would be best served by a low-cost, long-term lease at one of many already existing locations in Hinds County. Time and time again, the state spends too much money constructing new buildings across the metro area when there are privately owned buildings that are well maintained, convenient to the citizens of the state and offer a better deal for taxpayers. These properties would also stay on the tax rolls, supporting local governments (that provide essential services to employees) and schools.

The big picture is this: The state needs a comprehensive study on how best to meet its office-space needs. This study ought to lay out a plan to preserve residential neighborhoods, foster economic revitalization, and effectively manage state spending on buildings and facilities.
—Sen. David Blount, State Senate - District 29 (Hinds Co.)