Neighborhood conversation Five questions with ... Ruston Morecraft, director of the Saline Baptist Association
1 Should the drinking age be lowered from 21, and if so, how far?
No. Coming from my background in ministry, I see that we already have a problem. Some argue that if we lower the drinking age, or don't penalize underage drinkers who are consuming it, it would be a good thing. I do not think that is true. If we lower the age to 18 or 19, then those who are 12, 13 and 14 are more inclined to get it because more of their friends will have access. My background is, I come from a small town, and I had several alcoholics who were part of my ministry simply because of their choices. I don't think lowering the drinking age will solve any of our problems. We need to leave things alone.
2 What is your take on the U.S. pulling out of the Iran nuclear agreement.
I don't like "nuclear" anything, and I was not a fan that they had nuclear weapons. I don't know how it affects us, because we don't have a good relationship with Iran anyway. How does pulling out of an agreement when there's no relationship truly affect us? I'm sure it does in some way, but I'm not sure how influential that is. Either way, I don't feel that it affects us much.
3 Were you affected by the Rend Lake Conservancy District water crisis and if so, how?
No, we were not affected.
4 Do you keep a supply of water on hand in case you do have a water supply emergency?
Yes. Normally, we have either gallons of water or a case of bottled water on hand. We had about 3/4 of a case of water at that point and a couple of gallons of water we had bought at Walmart.
5 Is LeBron James the best basketball player ever?
No, he's not. I come from the generation with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. I think the three-point line really changed the ballgame, and those guys played during the three-point line, but they also played much before that. I think the scoring leaders then did more to earn their points than now. They were truly earning their points when they would draw a foul and then shoot. I do believe that by today's standards, he's one of the best on the court, but I wouldn't put him up as one of the best of all time.
- Travis DeNeal