Speak Out 07/01/04

Thanks for the help

I WISH to send a bit of thanks to the young couple and to the two policemen who assisted me when my car quit on Independence Street. They helped calm me down and also had the tow truck come and take away my car. I don't know their names, but I do want to thank them for helping an old lady.

Area needs a lake

STOP EVERYTHING and look around you, folks. Better yet, put an atlas in front of you. Measure the distance between where you are and the closest recreational lake. It's time for this area to get a large recreational lake. It's time that communities in the surrounding area give the hard-working people of Bollinger and Cape Girardeau counties a recreational area that we can all be proud of. With a lake comes tourism. This would bring in dollars for this area, which would mean more families working. With a local lake, churches, senior organizations and youth groups would be able to have functions that could better their cause. With a lake, families could enjoy a day of boating, fishing and swimming, a place to admire wildlife, a place for families to reunite. A lake would bring businesses such as restaurants, hotels, campgrounds, lodges, dealerships for watercraft and maybe even more industry.

Police need funding

PEOPLE LOVE to complain about the police until they need help. Anyone who feels the police don't need a larger budget needs to sign up to do a ride-along. If you've ever complained about how it took the police 20 minutes to respond to your complaint of loud music, maybe you'll see they are busy with more serious calls, Take a look at the police station and the equipment. Wake up, people. This town is growing and has a lot of retail tax money coming in. Don't you want your public-service professionals to be able to reflect to others that this is a great town?

But they have cash ...

I AM so happy that my bank is cognizant of disabilities at the drive-up ATM machine. It even has Braille labels for the keypad on the machine. I just hope I never encounter any of these blind drivers on the road.

No guilt in America

SOMEWHERE IN the world someone may be starving. There may even be governments that won't allow food to go to the people who need it. There might even be people who are collecting donations for food and lining their own pockets. What's nice about America is we're supposed to have freedom. If I want to eat an extra doughnut, then that's my prerogative. If you want to donate all your money, feel free. I can choose what I give to and not feel any guilt. I'm an American and I'm allowed choices.

Fireworks abused

I'M A veteran. I believe in the Fourth of July. But they're getting carried away with firecrackers. They're bigger than the bombs we used in the service. It makes it miserable. I hate to see the Fourth of July come along because people are ignorant with those things. They need to go down to the river and watch the fireworks. It won't cost them anything, and it won't scare the livestock and everything else to death.

Dangerous maneuver

PLEASE DON'T get me wrong. I feel very sorry for the state highway patrol trooper who was hit on Interstate 55. But one has to wonder what he was doing in the middle of the interstate trying to flag down another vehicle like that. Troopers should not be standing out in the interstate. It's just too dangerous.

Better information

I TRY to donate blood to the Red Cross as soon as I'm eligible. I call the Red Cross number and have to go through a menagerie of menu options just to find out where I can give blood. The Red Cross needs to work on its system of telling donors where to donate blood.

Small price to pay

I HOPE the man who was beaten with a flashlight learns not to steal a car. I know what it's like to go out to get my car and see broken glass. I know what it's like to wait hours and be inconvenienced. I think a beating is a small price to pay for stealing someone's automobile.