Mostly Cloudy ~ 62°F   River stage: 33.18 Rising Friday, November 20, 2009

Letters Emerson and the drug companies (11/20/09) U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's Nov. 13 op-ed column bemoaned the drug companies' influence over health care reform. She claims that Congress is in the pockets of the drug companies, that they are the ones steering reform. I am not sure how Emerson could do this, considering she herself is in their pockets. ... Hats off to CAYSA tournament (11/20/09) I wanted to write to say congratulations to the Cape Area Youth Soccer Association for hosting yet another successful soccer tournament this past weekend. For some two decades CAYSA has been conducting its fall tournament and for nearly three decades its spring tournament. I made it a point to drive down to the Shawnee Sports Complex this past Saturday. There were a total of 124 teams participating from throughout the region, teams from Southern Illinois, Kennett, St. Louis, Farmington, etc... Keep Bloomfield Road scenic, safe (11/20/09) Dear Bloomfield Road (County Road 205) neighbors and any of you who enjoy this scenic drive: Here are a few questions to consider before deciding to support or not support the widening of this road. Have you ever driven on a wide road that the drivers did not go faster in their cars than on a narrow road?... Great town-gown partnership (11/20/09) Cape Girardeau and its citizens have been and continue to be blessed by truly outstanding mayoral leadership. Both former mayor Al Spradling III and current Mayor Jay Knudtson have provided enormous talent, insight and vision during some very difficult times... Payday loans help millions (11/19/09) In regard to the Nov. 15 story "Economist at foreclosure seminar in Cape predicts tough 2010": Payday advances play a necessary role, providing hard-working people with a reasonable, well-regulated option for meeting unexpected or unbudgeted expenses and other short-term financial needs... A message to Washington, D.C. (11/19/09) I am fed up with what's going on in Washington. I'm 83 years old and have lived through many wars and recessions. This administration is doing from within what we fought World War II to prevent. All this spending is to break the people and put all control in government. The government works for us. Remember?... Let's play in different sandbox (11/19/09) As a longtime supporter of everything Southeast, I was alarmed to read in the Southeast Missourian sports section that Tony Samuel's contract might not be renewed because of his losing record the past several years. This is unfair to Mr. Samuels. His teams have played hard and as well as they were capable of, considering their levels of talent. ... Now the mail is coming later (11/16/09) I don't know if government-run health care would be reflective of the government-run postal service, but I have rented a post office box for 20 or so years and could count on mail being placed in my box daily between 8:30 and 9 a.m. This was perfect, because I could pick up my mail on my regular trip to the bank, carry it back to the office and process it throughout the balance of the day. The mail for many companies dictates what work and how much work will be done that day... Gazing at the stars in wonder (11/15/09) Every year we hear about how American students are slipping further behind their foreign counterparts, particularly in the fields of mathematics and science. Culturally, we've defined newspapers as fortresses of fact based upon sincere efforts at objectivity. ... There are angels everywhere (11/15/09) Last August I was on I-55 coming back from my sister's funeral. I had car trouble and pulled over on the interstate. I was very afraid, because I was alone and did not want to turn on my emergency lights because of all the bad things I'd read and heard about. ... Wreaths for veterans cemetery (11/13/09) I am once again reaching out to the community for sponsors for wreaths at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, Mo. Last year's Wreaths Across America mission was awesome. I have created a Web page (www.tink-pgr.weebly.com) that is dedicated to Wreaths Across America, and I have photos of last year's ceremony for you to see what a wonderful thing it is to be able to honor our veterans with wreaths on their graves... Seeking brothers and sisters (11/13/09) My husband was adopted when he was 5 years old. He is now 56. The Perryville, Mo., newspaper ran a story about him trying to find his brothers and sisters. A wonderful family responded. They knew people who knew people and found someone who could have told my husband his parents' names. They worked at the hospital in Cape Girardeau and were afraid of losing their jobs. Of course we did not want that either... We have a right to know (11/10/09) I am confused by the recent newsmaking story regarding the House Ethics Committee's leaked ethics report. On shows such as "COPS" and the weekly reports of charges listed in local newspapers, people are named with a presumption-of-innocence statement, "These people are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law." So why was an employee fired over a leaked report showing members of Congress who are currently under investigation? Don't we citizens have the right and deserve to know what people representing us are being accused of and investigated for? Doesn't this seem like a double standard? Is everyone else as tired as I am of hearing about all the corruption, personal benefits and scandals that plague our government? Maybe if they willingly published reports such as this, those representing us would be more inclined to get results, fulfill promises and behave in a respectable and honest way.. ... Not everyone gets big raises (11/10/09) For all Social Security recipients: Here is some information some of us are not aware of. Social Security recipients should not be denied their annual cost-of-living raise being taken away by our employees, the government. Cut out waste and corruption. Quit giving millions of taxpayers' hard-earned dollars away needlessly and recklessly. How about government officials and overpaid staff members take a big cut in pay, say about the same as they give themselves in raises... Shame on you, AARP (11/09/09) Shame on AARP for supporting the House Democrats' health care reform package. At a time when AARP should be advocating for our seniors, ensuring Medicare is strengthened, it is letting Congress ram this misguided health care reform package down seniors' throats. ... National snafus with flu vaccine (11/06/09) We are over 65 and have been attempting to get seasonal flu shots. My doctor does not have the vaccine. We encountered a ridiculous situation at the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center. Shots supposedly were available from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ... Our freedoms are eroding (11/04/09) I believe past and current administrations are in the process of destroying my beloved country. I, like many others, spent four years in the armed forces. I am sad because we should have the ability to have freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We are on a path right now to destroy all those beliefs... Public option, within budget (11/04/09) Thanks for the Oct. 28 Opinion page dominated by the Howard Dean and Newt Gingrich articles on the health care issue. This reader agrees with the main point of each. Those positions:Dean -- We need the public option. Gingrich -- Whatever we have must be paid for within budgeted revenue... Thanks, JAYF, for everything (11/04/09) Thank you, Jackson Area Youth Football, for making a difference for my two boys. My oldest son has played for years and is an athlete, but coaching was key. He learned more than fundamentals. He learned to love the game. Thanks, Ronnie Hobeck, Kevin Schneider and Todd Schneider, for treating him like one of your own and taking care of him on and off the field... Misleading county salary info (11/02/09) I would like you to clear some things up with your readers and our constituents. I usually do not respond to articles, but the way the Oct. 30 article "County officials approve increase in their salary" was written is very unsettling to me. The elected officials will only get a raise if the county employees receive raises also. ... Please return stuffed duck (11/02/09) Please, whoever took my white stuffed duck with the little bonnet on its head out of the back of my car: Would you please return it? It meant so much to me. My beloved sister, who died of lung cancer, gave that to me long ago. Why did you steal it? The Bible says, "Thou shalt not steal." It's one of the Ten Commandments, if you've never read the Bible... Keep the momentum going (11/01/09) As a cancer caregiver and advocate, I know that our nation's current health care system does not work well for many people with cancer. Cancer patients are often denied coverage or find that the cost of coverage is far beyond their means. One in four cancer patients has delayed necessary care due to cost, according to a recent poll from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network... Credits need legislative review (11/01/09) State Sen. Jason G. Crowell, who represents the 27th District in the Missouri Senate, sent this letter to statewide elected officials and to members of the Missouri General Assembly. Looking at the state's current fiscal situation, it is my opinion that the General Assembly should provide itself with as many options as possible as we begin to make the tough decisions inherent in our state budget. ... A teacher's influence (11/01/09) The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri's Otto Dingeldein Award, recently given to Mike Dumey, was a well-deserved tribute. Mike's positive influence on his many students, especially the love of musical theater, cannot be measured. A teacher who had the biggest single influence on my life passed away this week in Baton Rouge, La. ... U.N. treaty threatens wealth (10/30/09) The nation has seen President Obama take a downward slide in the polls concerning his approval and popularity. His recent attacks on Fox News have not helped. But there is one thing that could truly wreak havoc on this president and his policies. Lord Christopher Monckton, an adviser to former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, is speaking out on a climate treaty in the U.N. ... Extra payment is too costly (10/29/09) I wrote a letter May 29 objecting to the $250 payment to every Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiary. This same proposal, again being made by President Obama, will cost $13 billion that we do not have, but it should help Democrats secure additional votes for the 2010 and 2012 elections... Flu emergency is a ruse (10/29/09) Well, now we have it: Mr. Obama's war. The government has finally gotten its national emergency. For years the government has been looking for something to put the fear of God in all of us. Our national hero, President Obama, is here to save the day by declaring a national emergency to attack the swine flu... Thoughts on climate change (10/27/09) Not being an atmospheric scientist but having read and attempted to critically analyze global warming, or climate change, here is what I have concluded. By the way, science works a lot like that. 1. The amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is increasing, and humans are probably at fault... Micromanaging the bailouts (10/25/09) The right-wing media are outraged that the government is interfering with capitalism by limiting executive wages of bailed-out companies like AIG and General Motors. Are you kidding me? Have they forgotten that when you (the taxpayers) bring the gold, you make the rules? These "talented" executives tried to run their companies into the ground and came to the taxpayers for help. ... Ways to get cleaner air (10/25/09) Global-warming skeptics are pointing to a recent cooling trend to claim that global warming doesn't exist, while others claim the time of the recent trend is too short to be significant. The evidence recorded by geologists place the ice ages as tens of thousands of years apart, so I don't believe either side can determine whether we are in warming or cooling based on the less than 200 years of data that we have...

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