Speak Out 01/25/04

Audit protest

AS PERTAINS to the movement for a state audit of the Cape Girardeau School District, methinks the superintendent doth protest too much.

An award winner

DAVID LIMBAUGH'S claim that President Bush is overflowing with wisdom should win a national award for off-the-wall humor.

Why we need the rich

HATE FOR those who excel really runs deep. I guess it's jealousy. Why do we automatically assume the rich are evil? Because they are rich? The rich do not become rich off of the backs of others. That's ludicrous. Do you want a job? Do you know a poor person who can give you a good-paying job? Most rich people give largely to worthwhile charities. Ray Kroc's widow gave $1.5 billion to the Salvation Army. I challenge you to match that.

Limit children too?

FOUR DOGS and four cats are now all we citizens of a presumed free country are allowed to have in Cape Girardeau. What about birds? Rabbits? Frogs? Spiders? Mice? Rats? Turtles? I guess it's OK if my neighbor has 150 pet rats. I feel a bit discriminated against. This is not about a real problem. It's about a small group of elitists who want to control our lives, and it's another way to raise revenue through nuisance fines. I'm thoroughly disgusted. What's next? A limit on the number of children we are allowed to have?

Love and commitment

I DON'T need a religious ceremony to validate my commitment to my partner of 10-plus years. A lot of heterosexuals don't take the institution of marriage seriously given the divorce rate and the number of marriages people have under their belts. What amazes me is that so many people are against something that wouldn't affect them in any way. I would give anything to have the legal privileges that go along with married straight couples. We are people who are discriminated against only on the basis of who we love, nothing more. My love and commitment is no less than anyone else's.

Sheriff's staffing

I AM tired of city and county leaders making decisions about jobs they know nothing about. When was the last time Gerald Jones or any of the other commissioners reported for work in the jail or responded to a domestic call out in the county hoping a state trooper is available to help the only deputy on duty? The sheriff is a certified law enforcement officer who is telling the commission of the dangers that they know nothing about. Just let one escapee from the understaffed jail break in to a commissioner's house and the county will have all the staffing it needs.

Taking a stand

I HAVE not had the guts to join the SEMO Coalition for Peace and Justice, but I'm glad to read it received an award. Many of us talk about honoring Martin Luther King Jr. by being kind and generous, but the coalition's members really honor him by living out some of his more deeply held values. In the process they risk reputations and job promotions.

He's my president

THE STATE of the Union message was great. Every time the president said something was good for America, like defending America from foreign terrorists or teaching all of our children how to read and write, the Republicans would stand up and cheer and the Democrats would sit on their hands. They showed us exactly where they stand. I'm all for the president. He wants to do things that will be good for the United States. That's my president.

In the big city

HEIDI HALL, welcome to the big time, the big city, all that traffic all those retired East Coast people. They're in no hurry. Hey, you're a big girl in a big city. Act like one or come on back to Cape Girardeau. We'll welcome you home.

Food for thought

ALONG WITH accidents, war and terrorist activities, we have lost over 500 American service personnel in Iraq, slightly surpassing the number of murders in a one-year period in a small area of Washington, D.C. It is amazing how many people can be shot and killed when the populace is not allowed to have handguns in the most gun-restricted area of our country. I understand Iraq is a war zone, but Washington, you are not allowed to have handguns. Firearms not registered with the D.C. police may not be brought into the district. Doesn't say much for anti-gun laws, does it?

Need animal control

PEOPLE IN Delta have a problem with a dog killing other animals. We cannot get Cape Girardeau County officials to do anything about it. They say they can't control it. But the county has an animal control officer. It makes me wonder what taxpayers are paying for.

Racing the Chinese

FOR THOSE of you who remember Sputnik, you understand why George Bush wants to go back to the moon and then Mars. China is going to put a man on moon and then a space station, and who knows where else they want to go. China is very capable of doing this. The Chinese have the fastest-growing economy in the world. This is what's behind the move to space.

Too much government

THE CITY telling people how many pets they can own is wrong. When are people going to realize they can't let government make laws restricting what we can and can't do? We need to end it now before it gets worse.

Petition caution

PATRONS OF the Cape Girardeau School District, please keep our students in mind before you sign the petition requiring an additional audit. If you have questions, the district already has an audit that has all the information you need. Please don't force the district to cut another teacher. It will only hurt our kids.

Facility is needed

I'M CALLING to comment on the governor's State of the State address and the Department of Mental Health's recommendation to close the Cottonwood Residential Treatment Center in Cape Girardeau. I think it unfortunate that mental health services for our children are so limited in this rural area. After the closing of Cottonwood, those children who need residential placement will no longer be able to receive that in Southeast Missouri. The nearest residential center will be in Farmington, Mo. It is not feasible for many families to travel to get the needed services for their children. I think it a very sad decision on behalf of the Department of Mental Health to close such a facility.

No jobs, no payoff

I JUST read that 2.3 million jobs have been lost since George W. Bush became president. If 2.3 million jobs were lost and our budget deficit is over $500 billion, how in God's name are we going to pay this off if nobody has jobs?

Candidates' message

HEY, ALL you politicians out there: I will be glad when November is over. The candidates say what they want to say to get your vote, but all they really care about is who's taking care of them.

Truth about funding

IT'S TOO bad state Rep. Rod Jetton was impolite in speaking back to the governor, but Jetton is correct. The governor had revenue to spend on education and chose not to spend it. He funded every single dime for the Department of Tourism and the Department of Corrections, but he held back the money from education because he knew the voters would get upset. The governor is playing politics and trying to the blame the Republicans for not spending money on education. He's the one that held back the money. Thank you, Rod Jetton, for bringing up the truth.

Control the pets

I THINK the city should tell people how many pets they can have if people aren't using good judgment. I have one dog, which is more than enough, and I have two cats. The only reason I have two cats is because my neighbor had a ridiculous number and didn't take care of them. These two cats wandered to my house, so I fed them because I took pity on them. It's gross when you go trick-or-treating at a home that has a ridiculous number of pets. These people don't even realize how they're living.

Gambling on schools

CAPE GIRARDEAU smells like a rose because it doesn't have riverboat gambling. People are going to bite the bullet and be willing to have their taxes raised to pay a little out of their pockets. What kind of example does it set for children anyway to get school funding from gambling? That sets a poor example. The way to keep Cape smelling like a rose is to keep it as it is now, because it's already the jewel on the Mississippi River.

Board sets salaries

IF MARK Bowles' salary is higher than the state average for school superintendents, lay the blame on the school board. Isn't it the school board that approves salaries? Apparently the board felt Bowles was justified in making this amount. Since when does someone say "No more money for me"? I guess now that the belt's tightened it would be the honorable thing to not take a pay raise for a few years and give the teachers a little catch-up time.