Speak Out 05/25/04

Good entertainment

FOUR WORDS is all it takes to sum up this year's SEMO District Fair entertainment selections: "Jeremiah was a bullfrog." Good job, fair committee members.

Good fair fare

I'M REALLY excited about the fair. Sammy Kershaw's pretty cool, and Three Dog Night is way cooler. Thank you to SEMO District Fair for bringing Three Dog Night. I know I probably won't be at the fair for the livestock, considering I'm not a country girl.

Spending like drunks

Republicans control both houses of the Missouri Legislature. Once they got the power of the purse, they abandoned parsimonious conservative principles, threw caution to the wind and spent money like drunken sailors.

Whimsical leave

TODAY'S MISSOURIAN has an article about the shortage of police officers in Cape Girardeau. The chief of police states he is 13 officers short and cites various reasons. But the one that intrigues me is the leave of absence granted to one sergeant. The city ignored the manpower shortage and allowed a supervisory rank officer to take a leave to run for a political office. This seems rather whimsical to me and raises the following issues. If they are so extremely short, why did they grant this particular leave? If they can get by for months without this supervisory position, do they really need it anyway? And are some of the other shortages caused by such seemingly irresponsible acts of poor judgment?

No money for banks

WITH GAS almost $2 a gallon and milk over $3 a gallon, just where are people are going to get the money to put in all the new banks being built in town?

Warning to snakes

SOMEONE SAID on TV that some snakes are good and won't bother you if you leave them alone. Let me tell you something, there's only one good snake -- a dead snake. If I see one in my yard, it's going to be dead, I guarantee it.

Apparel advice

I'VE BEEN noticing the pictures of high school students who have received awards or scholarships or have done great things. The young men are dressed in coats and ties and lots of extra clothes, and the young women are in formal dresses that are extremely revealing. This is a problem. In our society, when you wear extra clothes like the young men are wearing, it's a symbol of power. When you don't wear enough clothes and your skin is revealed, it's a symbol of being vulnerable. We need to figure out a way for our young women to wear clothes that are fun and exciting yet don't make them quite so vulnerable.

Flip side of speeding

RECENTLY THERE have been numerous comments on speeding. Replies have been if you don't want a ticket, then don't speed. Let me give you a flip side. For two years I tried to correct my speeding habit. However, all this created was road rage in other drivers, particularly in the school zone on Oak Street in Jackson. Even though I reported this problem to the Jackson police several times, they did nothing until I got irate. Their attitude was that I was the one who was creating a dangerous situation by going the speed limit. I now go 30 mph in that 15 mph zone like everyone else.

They're important

THE FIRE department is one of the most important things a city can have. Maybe the reason people didn't show for the public forum is because they're going to vote for the fire sales tax. And the police department is important too. Both these things keep the city running.

How can you tell?

I THINK the news media need to revamp their terminology in describing the people in Iraq who are killing the forces trying to free the Iraqi people. The media refer to them as civilians. How can you tell who's a civilian or who's a terrorist or anything else, because there is no organized army that's opposing us?

Freedom comes first

THOSE OPPOSED to the congressional budget because of rising deficits won't have to worry about deficits if defense priority needs are not adequately financed in our country's war on terrorism and the defense of our nation. Eliminating terrorism will require sacrifices from all freedom-loving people here in America and throughout the world. Our brave soldiers and coalition are making the supreme efforts and sacrifices to protect our freedoms.

But you buy more gas

COMMON SENSE, please. Your statement that Americans pay more for milk than gas is surely not true in the total amounts spent. You have to buy lots more gas than milk.

Police: Do your jobs

I DISAGREE with the comment that we need to pay our cops better in order for them to do their job. If they do not like what they are being paid, they should seek employment elsewhere. They signed up for their jobs and knew what they would be paid, so they should perform. To say they are not getting paid enough to perform all their duties is unprofessional.