Speak Out 03/22/04

Immediate correction

ON THE identity theft legislation: Our lawmakers should add one more provision to the law. Any negative reports to a credit reporting agency should, as a matter of law, immediately be erased permanently from the victim's record so his credit score is not affected. It is like pulling hen's teeth to get the reporting agencies to correct mistakes, and they treat you like a deadbeat criminal during the whole process. I had to pay an attorney several hundred dollars to get an error fixed, and it was the credit agency's fault.

45 mph is fast enough

I THINK the speed limit on Highway 74 should remain at 45 mph. I don't want tractor-trailers traveling at 55 mph through the five intersections between the bridge and the interstate.

Clean up the mess

WE READ about how they want to change the license plates so the patrol can see them better. The patrol does not need to see the license plate to know that there are thousands of cars running around with no mufflers or gutted mufflers. There are thousands of cars running around with no bumpers. How do those vehicles get through inspections? If we're going to clean house --and I'm all for it -- let's clean up all the rest of the rotten mess.

Another threat

I HAD made up my mind to vote for the city tax increase. Then I saw another threat in the paper about cutting out the spring cleanup. When will the city officials learn that these tactics will not work with voters?

Uninformed columnist

I DON'T know why you keep running Paul Greenberg's columns on the Opinion page. He obviously doesn't know what's going on in Europe. I've been to Europe and have friends there. He just doesn't know what's going on. Maybe he talks to the people up in the high reaches. I just talk to ordinary people.

Emboldened terrorists

THE TERRORISTS won a big victory. It was a perfect plan, and the Spanish people fell for it. Now the terrorists are free to take over the world. Islamic terrorists will plan something similar to what they did in Spain shortly before the U.S. election. They want President Bush out. Americans must accept that we are engaged in a war against an enemy as evil as we were in World War II. The Islamic terrorists are even more powerful than Hitler. Wake up, America.

Setting good example

I HOPE Martha Stewart doesn't go to jail. We have so few women who work up the ladder of business like she and Oprah Winfrey have done for us women to look up to. It was so nice to see Stewart's clean, wonderful TV show instead of the trash on TV now. She has been such a wonderful guide to homemaking. Her show has always been interesting, informative and in good taste, and her products are good.

Small-time farming

REGARDING THE person who commented on bigger subsidies for small family farms: I think he's all wet. I'm a small farmer. The farm might pay for itself, but a small farm will not make a living for a family unless they do specialty projects or crops for income. If you don't farm, you've got to have a job. So get the job and keep your farm.

Telling the truth

SO THEY got Martha Stewart for lying. The day the politicians tell us the truth, hell will freeze over.

Leading ladies

SEEING THE leading women featured on your Lifestyles section in the Sunday paper took me back to my childhood days. My very first teacher was Nell Holcomb, who taught at Coker School, a one-room schoolhouse in the Egypt Mills community. And then after moving from that community to Cape Girardeau in 1927, I was privileged to have Alma Schrader. Miss Alma was principal at May Greene Elementary School while I was attending there. Then I went to Washington School where May Greene was the principal. To me they were really leading ladies.

Gold star for teacher

A GOLD star goes to first-grade teacher Brenda Randolph who really understands what education is. How wonderful to follow a current event, use computers and also integrate the curriculum into all areas: math, social studies and geography. Wonderful. This teacher understands that education doesn't always have to come from books and that learning can be fun. I wish her many years of happy teaching, and I know the students are fortunate to have her as a teacher.

Faulty products

IN RESPONSE to the comment claiming American products are faulty: There are faulty foreign products too. I buy American products. Unfortunately, we have very few American products to buy. We're forced into buying foreign products.

Overbooked doctor

I'M 66 years old and I haven't been to a doctor in three years. I called for an appointment in February, and it was two weeks before I could get in. When I got there, there was standing room only. I sat for 30 minutes and found out the woman next to me had the same appointment I did. I left with 10 people still ahead of me. When would I have seen that doctor? It's ridiculous.

Meaningless tests

THIS IS in response to your article "Hearing harsh words" on Jason Bandermann. I'm a teacher with 19 years of experience. I am seeking other employment simply because of what teaching has become. My students are going to be tested this spring, and I'm going to be held accountable for their scores, not them. And guess what? They don't care. They feel like they're tested to death. The only things my kids care about are their GPA and their ACT or SAT scores. The MAP score means nothing to them. So I'm going to be evaluated on what my students do on a test that they know has no bearing on them. While teachers in the classroom are being cut, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education continues to grow. Look at the situation, parents. This is not fair to your kids.

Make them clean up

CONCERNING THE people who broke all those windows: I know what the judge can do with them. Make them pick up trash around here for one year.

Horrible disrespect

I HAVE really enjoyed the articles about Jason Bandermann, but the recent article made me sick. Why in the world would any teacher put up with such horrible disrespect? And where are the administrators to help this new teacher out? I'm sure some of the students in those classes really do have a desire to learn.

Inattentive dads

THIS IS to all the dads out there who are complaining about the moms. I'm a mom going through divorce with three kids. I gave my soon-to-be ex-husband every opportunity to see his kids, even moving them to the town where he lives. But he chooses to see them less than he did when we were living 40 miles away. It's not all moms. Some of us want to see the fathers be a part of the kids' lives, but what are you supposed do when a father chooses not to be?

Scott City's lament

I SEE the Missouri Department of Transportation is going to put up a $270,000 pedestrian bridge over Highway 74. But Scott City sits down here with a very bad intersection on I-55 and can't get anything done. Thanks a lot, MoDOT.

No time to run

I WANT to comment about the difference in people now than when they were in World War II. We lost twice as many people at the World Trade Center than we did at Pearl Harbor. When the suicide bombers started sacrificing themselves, a lot of people wanted to cut tail and run. But remember when the Japanese used suicide bombers against our boys in the Pacific? The people then didn't say let's cut and run. They wanted victory.

Report it to the police

I'VE JUST read the comment about watching porn on someone's SUV TV screen. When we get into a situation like that, those of us who have cell phones should call the police and give a description of the car and the license plate number. Maybe the police would do something about it.

Wrong attitude

AFTER READING the article about the teacher, Jason Bandermann, I see where we've really got a problem in this country. No wonder jobs are leaving this country with students with the attitude they've got. How in the world can this country stay strong? It's a real wake-up call, but the teachers have to put up with what they do, and there's no way that they can have any kind of a guaranteed performance.