Speak Out 09/13/04

Great police department

ONE OF the men who visited my house before the bridge implosion said we had a great police department, and I agreed.

Enough pet laws

I RECENTLY heard a comment from our city manager regarding the newly adopted pet-limitation ordinance. Asked why the limitation issue was brought up to the city council, his answer was that animal control officers could not tell from the street if an animal was spayed or neutered and the council voted to pass a limit law to make it easier. Can anyone explain the correlation here? If the animal control officers would enforce our city ordinances, they could call into the station, find out if the animals are licensed and altered and simply enforce the law they already have. Sounds straightforward enough to me. The council needs to reverse the limitation ordinance and enforce the current ones instead of creating more arbitrary laws.

Close Main Street

LET'S CLOSE off Main Street near the clock and let people walk from place to place, Put some tables on the sidewalks and let the people enjoy the view. Let the fun crowd win out.

Another approach

THE ARTICLE "The rage among girls" said girls have been increasingly more violent over the past few years, and the boys are still going strong. There really isn't much talk of any kind of resolution for the problem or what might have influenced the situation. It is proposed that cameras would help, but cameras will only get more of the already violent teens in trouble, causing them to rebel even more. I think a more hands-on approach should be tried. Add peer mediation, which would give those who fight a chance to explain the situation and give them a reason to work together and to depend on each other.

Sinking confidence

DO YOU wonder with me why the school board unanimously approved the superintendent's recommendation to raise taxes $748,000 without a taxpayer vote just because they could, and then immediately fired him? This flip-flopping ship of fools leaves me without confidence.

Not a musical hotbed

REGARDING THE editorial about the music festival: There is no rock 'n' roll block party in downtown Cape Girardeau. Some weekends only one downtown establishment has live music. Cape is not the hotbed of live music supposed by some, and there is little or no opportunity for bands playing original music. It has been tried, and it always fails. Part of the problem with the music festival is any band, no matter how bad, can get placed in the schedule. It's a simple matter of selling a substandard product. Who wants to pay to see lousy bands?

Unsightly power lines

WHILE THE new floodwall murals look nice in downtown Cape Girardeau, unless there are plans to deal with the unsightly power lines in front of the murals, the effort to spruce up Water Street will be wasted.

Not a pretty picture

IN RUSSIA, tens of thousands rally in protest against terrorists. In America, tens of thousands rally in protest against the fight against terrorists. What's wrong with this picture?

Social Security reality

THE CALLER who said paying back money diverted from the Social Security fund would fix it is obviously unaware of the real problem. There are far more people on Social Security and approaching the age to collect it than there are working people paying into it. The largest people group in the United States is senior citizens. Life expectancies have grown since Social Security's inception. The only way to fix it is to find other sources to fund it or let a 33-year-old like myself do some smart planning for my future.

Middle of the lane

THIS IS just one more story about bikes in the middle of the road and irresponsible bikers. I was on Perryville Road. and a biker was riding down the center of the lane and would not move over. At one point, I looked in my rearview mirror, and there were at least seven or eight cars behind me. There was plenty of room for the biker to move over to the right side of the road. This is ridiculous. It's irresponsible. And bikers wonder why people get aggravated with them.

Crooked politics

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE how crooked our federal government is. Everybody involved in politics is as crooked as a barrel of snakes, to use my daddy's favorite expression. All they do is cover up their mistakes. I don't trust Democrats or Republicans. You won't see my vote anywhere this time.

Unaffordable food

OUTSOURCING NOT only loses jobs for Americans, but deals them a double loss by having to subsidize farmers who receive less revenue for their food exports to poor countries like Cuba, which cannot afford to pay the full worth of America's produce. American families cannot afford to pay these high produce prices. It's no wonder they live on snacks and become obese. They can't afford fruits and vegetables.

Before the marriage

ONE OF the things I most treasure is my husband. For his bachelor party he had a swimming party -- all guys -- at his home. I think that says a lot. If you're going to mess around the night before your wedding, what's going to keep you faithful for all those years of marriage? I think a good card game with the guys is a fun thing. It is a shame that some in America have the mentality that a strip club is the thing to do the night before marriage. I don't think that's the best way of telling a woman that you're going to love her forever once you've put that ring on her finger.

Late-night eating

KUDOS TO Burrito-Ville for coming back to Broadway. I am a late-night person. We need a few more late-night restaurants.

Teaching administrators

SCHOOLS ARE having problems: finances, student discipline, teacher apathy. I suggest that each of us call our state senator or representative and ask them to pass a law that every district administrator be required to teach one course each semester. This law would force administrators to understand what is occurring in the classroom. There is a serious need for more day-to-day teacher understanding by administrators, parents and school boards.

Protecting history

I AM outraged by the cavalier attitude of the Missouri Department of Transportation officials regarding the bridge explosions. Asking us to evacuate the area is reasonable. But then we were told to take our valuable items off our shelves and off of our walls and open our windows so they wouldn't shatter. Many of our homes are historic homes with handmade, irreplaceable windows that haven't been opened in decades. It would be labor intensive for a crew to take everything down from our high walls. A Missourian editorial stated encouraging the evacuation "Why take a chance?" Well, I ask that question too. Why take a chance with our homes? If MoDOT can't control the blast, it should be responsible for any damage to historic homes.

Scott City crossing

I'M CALLING about a very serious situation at Scott City that concerns a Missouri Pacific Railroad crossing at Daugherty Street. Recently the guard gate was up and down all day long. There were close to a dozen calls made to Missouri Pacific and to the police department trying to get the situation straightened out. This is an ongoing situation. We've been told by a railroad employee that the crossing gate is dilapidated and needs to be replaced, but the railroad doesn't want to spend the money. It seems the railroad would have a tremendous liability if a school bus has to back up onto Main Street when the crossing is down and no trains are coming. Please, Missouri Pacific, take care of this crossing.

Sidewalks for Kingsway

KINGSWAY DRIVE is in desperate need of good access to the hiking trail just as Lexington is. We are neglected because we don't live in the wealthy district, but we need access too. It should be fair and equal for everyone. Kingsway is a narrow street. Cars drive at excessive speeds, and it is not safe for children on bikes or people walking to access the trail.