To Matthew Christ

I love it when teenagers tell me "what's wrong with the country."
I'm "all ears" when a teenager tells me how things should be done in this country - someone with maybe two years at the most, of working at an entry-level job, who is able to run home to a parent to take care of whatever problem they may have.
Someone with no experience in filling out a long tax form or budgeting an income to pay for housing and groceries.
Not knowing what it's like to sweat over the strains of a new job or a big business deal.
Wondering if your buddies will protect you when you crawl out of a foxhole.
Wondering where enough money will come from to feed a child or a senior parent.
You've done none of that, yet you've got the answer on Iraq, our national economy and a preference for two presidents sharing the Oval Office.
Instead of drinking from the "cup of hope," whatever that is, how about bellying up to the bar of reality for a while. Then you can tell me what you think and it will carry some weight.

Rick Rogers
Birmingham