Speak Out 6/22/12

I find it a shameful waste of the Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Department resources that they cannot resolve any of the mischief occurring out and around the Tanglewood Estates Subdivision and Cape Rock Village. They can, however, use two parked patrol cars to pull over the same people on which said mischief is being perpetrated who are going to work. Speeding is speeding, but from where we sit it looks like an easy money grab instead of doing real police work, which is what we need out here.

This is about the third wreck in a month that has involved the median cable posts. I will still say they are way too close to the highway and they could have been put enough distance away that a car could get off the interstate. I do not believe the excuses of the ground being too soft or the buried cable is a good enough reason. They could have been put in concrete or put in deeper. Just as the 10th mile marker's was a waste of money, as you could not read them and a lot were knocked down. Guess it will have to take somebody's life first. I don't buy their excuses.

As an educated, informed citizen, I am beginning to believe it is time to get rid of jury trials. I watched Roger Clemens' testimony before Congress; he specifically denied using performance-enhancing drugs, being at specific parties, etc. Later, numerous pictures surfaced proving he was at the party and proving that he lied repeatedly in his testimony. Yet today, a jury found him innocent of all charges. The case of Casey Anderson is yet another example of total failure on the part of a jury.

Fireworks

It is mid-June, so any day now the calls will come in about fireworks. Here's a simple two-part solution that will eliminate most of the complaints. On one hand, parents of kids of all ages, monitor your kids' use of fireworks. You control their access to fireworks if they are not yet driving and able to buy them on their own. If your kids can drive and buy their own fireworks, tell them if they get caught breaking the law you will not bail them out -- and then follow through. By the way, if you've been following through all along, this should do the trick. The second part of the solution is geared toward those people who complain every year about the use of fireworks. Go on vacation, put in earplugs, go volunteer somewhere. Do something to remove yourself from the situation or to minimize its impact on your life.

Frank book

"Pity the Poor Billionaire" by Thomas Frank is less than 200 pages in length but will tell you everything you need to know about our current predicament. I highly recommend it. As an added incentive to read it, on page 125 of the hardback edition there is almost an entire page devoted to Cape Girardeau native, syndicated columnist and author David Limbaugh.

Robo-calls

A note to all aspiring politicians: Put an end to these harassing automated phone calls and you can be assured of my vote.

Broadway work

With all the millions they are spending on this Broadway corridor project, which doesn't look like it is improving a whole lot to me, I hope they spend a little bit of that money on North Main Street when you actually turn off Broadway to go to the actual street that goes to the casino. If they haven't noticed, that area looks bad and hopefully they are going to address that.

Graduation rate

Cape Girardeau 's public shouldn't panic over Central High School's low graduation rate. It will all be resolved with the rigorous enforcement of the new dress code.