Speak Out 12/4/12

One thing we can do to help this economy is to bring clothing back to the states. All the clothing I have on now is made in South America or China. That is the big problem with the clothing industry. Take the tariff money and pay for unemployment. In Cape Girardeau, we have lost 400 jobs in the last five years that went to Mexico and South America. I got a pair of overalls that cost $40 that would cost the same if it was made in the states.

Thanks to veterans

I wanted to say God bless the veterans who put the flags out for us to enjoy. It takes a lot of work and a lot of heart. Thank you.

Losing jobs

If you have been looking for a job but can't find one, you can take some solace in knowing that your joblessness has helped move more than one person upward into the middle class in places like Brazil, China and India.

Rebate check

Did you get a rebate check from your insurance company this year and didn't know what it was for? The reason you got it is because the new health care law required that if the company was spending more than 20 percent on administrative costs and less than 80 percent on your medical expenses, then you were owed money.

Respect graves

Now that this newspaper has printed an article where the Army admits to exposing bones of ancient Indians during the explosion of the Birds Point levee, I request that the Army never use explosives again within one mile of known Indian graves. They should be respectful.

Not reporters

The gushing Speak Out tribute to Mike Jensen, David Limbaugh and others was no doubt well meaning but was woefully inaccurate. These folks are not "reporters" as referred to in the comment. They are propagandists for a particular point of view. And, given the results of the last two presidential elections, not very effective ones.

Stop burning leaves

I just had my leaves picked up by the new truck and it is wonderful. A pile of leaves the width of my front yard was picked up within minutes. Now tell me why some inconsiderate people insist on burning their leaves and polluting the air for the rest of us to breathe. When are the mayor and city council going to wake up and ban all this senseless burning? This past Sunday I was going to open the windows and air out my house. Wrong. The air was too full of smoke. This is a dangerous practice that should have been banned years ago.

New trail

As I watch the new trail being built along William Street it shows how out of touch our government is when using our tax dollars. Yes, this is a wonderful idea and the trail will be used, but aren't there other more pressing matters to spend the money on? I would like to have an in-home gym, but I can't afford it so I don't build one. How many government programs are out there that are "nice to have?" But we simply are at the point we can't afford it. How many politicians do you know who would donate their own money to pay for things like this trail? You're right, they wouldn't. But they sure can spend our tax dollars

Wasteful spending

I was reading how our politicians are "wringing their hands" because they don't know how to avoid the "fiscal cliff" and no one will compromise. I have a fresh idea for all our politicians, including our tax-and-spend president. Stop spending money we don't have. Don't keep on trying to create new taxes to drain us of all our hard earned money. Simply stop spending our money on wasteful things. Government aid to countries that hate us would be a prime place to start.

Parents, school bus

For the unhappy person calling about after school traffic. Three reasons for parents picking students up are: 1) To be on time for after-school activities like dance or sports. 2) The amount of time spent on the bus in the morning and afternoon is usually one hour of wasted time. 3) The bus driver cannot control bullies and watch the road. Another adult is needed to supervise. There are probably other reasons but time and safety topped my list when I had young children in school. Is it not possible for you to take a different street at this time of day?

Broadway parking

After having to navigate around a car parked on Broadway in front of Dollar General (the no-parking side of the street), I have realized that the city of Cape Girardeau is going to have to either erect no-parking signs or paint the curbs yellow. Visitors to our refurbished Broadway may not be mind readers about the parking issue.

Bangladesh fire

The tragic fire in Bangladesh serves in part as a metaphor for the ongoing failure of the incorrectly named international free trade and/or globalization movement, a sordid experiment still endorsed with enthusiasm by both major political parties in the U.S., although it has negative consequences on average people both here and abroad.