Speak Out 06/10/04

Thanks for ceremony

I WOULD like to commend the American Cancer Society and all of those people who participated in Relay for Life. It was a wonderful time to honor those who have survived cancer and memorialize those who have succumbed. The Twilight Luminary Ceremony is one to behold. Congratulations for a great job.

Best president

I'D LIKE to comment on Ronald Reagan. I'm 60 years old. As far as I'm concerned he's the best president I've ever voted for.

He was inspirational

PRESIDENT REAGAN was the greatest president in my lifetime because he understood what inspired greatness in other people. He knew that all the answers were in the people all across the nation, and he inspired them to do their best.

Rooting for Indians

IF YOU remember in the late 1980s, Ronald Reagan, God bless him, was here in Cape Girardeau at Southeast Missouri State University. He said, "I can guarantee one thing, there will be one cowboy rooting for the Indians." Come on, board of regents, Think about it.

More work, more pay

I CAN'T imagine a harder job than waitressing. Usually the base pay is set low, leaving it up to the quality of individual service to generate enough tips to make it all worthwhile. I've traveled a bit and have eaten out a lot and know the difference between poor, good and great job performance. If a waitress makes more than a teacher, it's because she earned it.

Lingering sorrow

WHY IS it when you lose a loved one the phone and doorbell don't stop ringing for about a week. After that it is complete silence. Don't they know what a simple phone call would mean to people who are so lonely they don't know how to cope? Is this too much to ask from family and friends? It's like they feel like once they have done their duty their responsibility is over. The few who do remember you are so deeply appreciated. The rest of them make you wonder just how good as friends they really were. Think about this. Are you guilty of this neglect?

Directing visitors

THANK YOU, Steve Robertson, for your guest column explaining the easy and least costly methods of building an interest in visiting Cape Girardeau. As a family, we travel by car within 500 miles of Cape and always look for signboards telling us where to find tourist information. Where can you find directions to the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau? There are signs directing travelers to Southeast Missouri State University, the Show Me Center and the riverfront, but nothing about visitor information. Have you ever visited the CVB office on Broadway? With the exception of one hostess, you would wonder if anyone cared about visitors. Office doors are closed, and everyone is playing busy on the computer. I would think all of the CVB employees would give priority to visitors since their salaries are paid through the hotel-restaurant tax.

Labeling confusion

IT'S NOT my fault that consummate conservative columnist George Will told the stark truth that by nature conservatives are not a nice nor optimistic sort. I realize it's confusing, but today many cheery and optimistic sorts wrongly characterize themselves as conservatives, claiming an unabiding faith in human nature. This is anathema to true conservatism, properly understood. Indeed, many who claim this conservative mantle are, in reality, virtual idealistic liberals. A lot of self-professed liberals have, whether they realize it or not, become curmudgeonly conservatives. It's time to straighten out this labeling confusion.

No common sense

THE PERSON who commented about the Click It or Ticket campaign and about his right to wear a seat belt is so typical of people who go against common sense. If people say what they are doing is likely to lead to death, they'll explain, "Well, everybody's got to go when the time comes." But when their time gets close they start hollering for somebody to help them. This is how ridiculous these arguments are.