LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: YOU'RE RIGHT, MAYBE WE ARE `SCHIZO'

Dear Editorial Board,

I am one of those schizophrenic voters you were talking about (April 4, 1994). Glad to know the medical terminology for my symptoms. I'm sure you all are fully competent to diagnose my vote, but just a few questions and comments.

If the only thing that is important are jobs/money, why is it that the USA has kept so many income-producing jobs illegal? Drug dealing, gambling, prostitution, stealing, fraud, etc., are all known to be very lucrative businesses. All have a market to be tapped and taxes to be collected. I just can't understand why our past and present fellow citizens and government leaders opted to make these fine upstanding jobs unavailable to our country? Why did we try and sentence Noriega to prison for creating jobs in his own country and exporting their product to consumers! We could learn a lot from these entrepreneurs.

If our jails are too crowded and we can't police the "criminals", just legalize the behavior and tax it! Talk about a way to reduce crime and fill tax coffers. IT'S EASY! Oh well, maybe next year.

Another question, are we being schizophrenic by facing the truth about gambling and being leery of the negative consequences connected to it?

Why is it so "schizo" to be torn by the (Pros) enticing aspect of large amounts of money, jobs, taxes, etc. and at the same time fearful of the (Cons) destructive effects known to accompany gambling? We experience this in a similar way when we are given a medication and told it could help our condition (the Pros), yet several unwanted side effects are listed (the Cons). Is "weighing the odds", a good ole gamblin' term, of us and our state becoming "dependent" on gambling schizophrenia, or "just good ole common sense"?

Is it schizo to be concerned about the state "taking" money from those citizens who can least afford it?

Is it schizophrenic to vote in riverboat gambling with very little information on the negative aspects of gambling (purposely?) and knowing how these same legislators "fooled" us on the lottery fund distribution?

Wait a minute, we ARE kind of schizo! Maybe, it IS just schizophrenia. Oh well, greed is good and maybe we can beat the greed of the '80s!

Just a few more questions, Did you guys/gal read Mona's column Sunday, "False gods and America's decline"? I wonder if you editors are taking seriously your own editorials on morality? Could there be an unknown epidemic of "schizophrenia" going around our nation? A disease in which we observe the symptoms and speak about the cure, yet are unwilling to take the medicine! All the while sickness is spreading and getting worse?

Will we keep on trying to build a great and lasting nation/state/city, etc. on the sinking sand of immorality? Will we base our economy on jobs built on the sand of "moral failure"?

Let us all work together and agree for the common goals of morality, with a true Vision for 2000 and Beyond! (It may be our last chance).

BRUCE COLLIER

Cape Girardeau