Today's top comments: Save children's lives by giving them vacations, don't blame Trump for anything

The holidays did not stop the commenters from visiting media Facebook pages in the Joplin and Springfield areas.

And they left some strong opinions on issues facing our nation.

I feel it is my responsibility to share some of those thoughts and my responses.

On our partial government shutdown

Shut it down...leave it shut down...tell 90% to "Get a JOB! Something productive"...10% is enough 10% of our military and 10% of our military spending keeps us at the top...the rest is graft to suck out of our wallets!!!!! We are fed up with this...shut it down.

On the death of an eight-year-old Guatemalan child

This one came from a person who admitted all he read was the headline to the story and he did not bother to read the story. Some commenters called him on it.

What does it matter to you if I only pay attention to the headlines. I never read the full version as it all crap. 

With an attitude like that, you should consider running for president. That seems to be the fashion these days.

You just don’t want to accept the fact that the parents are to blame. They are the only ones to blame. I get sick and tired of all the finger pointing by the media and leftist. 

It is too soon to stay who is responsible for the child's death, but do we really need to be blaming the parents so soon after the child's death, or it is easier to do that when you don't know them and they are from another country?

People are rushed to the hospital everyday, and they die at the hospital. That doesn't make it the hospitals fault. How is it our fault that a parent drags their kid across the globe and allowed their child's health to decline? We receive a train wreck and then were blamed for the train wreck. This is insane! Blame the parent!

What does it matter to you if I only pay attention to the headlines. I never read the full version as it all crap. You just don’t want to accept the fact that the parents are to blame. They are the only ones to blame. I get sick and tired of all the finger pointing by the media and leftist. You go ahead and chose to believe what you wish, me I seek the truth. But then I guess that’s gone out of style.

If we had a wall he wouldn't of been in a detention center would of been Mexico where medical is so much better.

I want the wall want them to come the right way I do think they need to help Legals to get more help getting here

I want them to write complete sentences use punctuation help educateds get more help writing here. (That almost killed me to write an alleged sentence like that.)

Over 1,000 Americans die daily from medical errors. Errors in diagnosis, treatment, medication, or infections acquired in hospitals. Where is the outrage? Why is an invading child more prominent than citizens?

These children had no vacations, different strains flu, different exposure to toxins traveling thru poor countries, and these children bring with them all the virus and bacteria to our children.

That's the solution to child illnesses- give them all vacations.

He was already sick. They took him to hospital twice. It's very sad, but I don't see why it's news

Perhaps you don't, but you read it and thought it was worthy of commenting on. That would seem to be at odds with what you are saying.

Don't Blame Trump for that.. this blaming him for what every dang President has done for years.. he's the ONLY President that hasn't tried to sell US off to The New World Order..

This woman had more to write, but couldn't concentrate over the sound of the black helicopters flying overhead.

Looks like a lot of people posting here had themselves a very White Christmas

Now that's a snarky thing to say. I wish I had thought of it.