Speak Out 02/13/04

Slowing down traffic

CAPE GIRARDEAU police may put patrol officers on Highway 74, but I won't complain about the tactics. In my opinion the police are trying to slow us down by being seen. Their counterparts in Illinois will hide behind trees and signs to get you, which is an obvious form of revenue collection. I've never received a ticket in Cape that I didn't deserve.

Speak English

I THINK if you are going to live in the United States that you should use English, not some other country's language. The government is trying to force us to communicate with foreign-speaking immigrants because they don't want to learn. We would stand our ground and let our government know how we all feel about this.

Close the losers

I READ where Cape Girardeau is considering cutting back. I understand the Osage Community Centre and the Shawnee soccer fields have a very large deficit every year. These should be closed if they can't carry their own weight. No profit, no business.

Earn the money

TO ALL the people that have complained about their children being charged an activity fee: Your child could have very easily made $40 shoveling snow from driveways. They also could baby-sit, rake leaves or get a summer job. If they are capable of performing extracurricular activities, then they are capable of making a few bucks to help pay for it. They might even learn that life isn't free.

Reasonable cuts

I APPLAUD Mayor Jay Knudtson and the Cape Girardeau City Council for their efforts in cutting expenses. Not one item on the list would be missed by the majority of the community. This goes to show that there are lots of things that can be cut without affecting our quality of life. Now I challenge them to not bend to special interests and make these cuts and fee increases. Let's see more of the same.

Cultural distance

HOW CAN CBS generally and KFVS-12 specifically say with a straight face they didn't know what was coming on the Super Bowl halftime show? Virtually all entertainers were known for going out of their way to offend middle-class sensibilities. If CBS and its affiliates really had no clue, then they are so totally out of touch with what passes for popular culture they should be terminated forthwith.

Peer education

OUR SCHOOL board should look into place-based education. Allowing students to learn in classrooms with the same peers they grow up with has positive influences on their future outlook on the community.

Pay for parking

I SUGGEST that we charge for parking at the high school instead of charging fees for the students to participate in extracurricular activities. Students, teachers and administrators should all pay. If they can all afford to drive cars, they should be able to afford to park. This is much better than charging students for participating in activities.

Let someone else do it

CORONER MIKE Hurst would like to see his $19,000 salary increased. He knew what the salary was when he took the job. If that's not enough, there's somebody who will work for that. He should appreciate what he gets.

Democrats can do it

DAVID LIMBAUGH underestimates Democrats. I don't see John Kerry as lackluster at all. He has served in the U.S. Senate. In these troubled times, you want someone with a lot more political experience. The Democrats know what they're doing when they go to the polls, and they may know what they're doing when Kerry becomes the next president.

No punishment

THE REASON the FCC has its hands full is because it didn't enforce its decency rules from the beginning. If they'd fine network violators the most severe penalty they could get, it wouldn't take them long to get the message. Instead of that, the FCC pussyfoots around, and the TV networks know they're not going to punished.