Speak Out 1/10/12

School uniforms

SPEAKING as a grandparent who wore school uniforms for 12 years and has grandchildren in another town who wear uniforms and also has grandchildren in the Cape Girardeau School District, it's obvious that the editor of the Southeast Missourian does not know what he is talking about.

More doctors

THE government is spending all kinds of money to make sure that the medical people get paid, while at the same time the AMA and the dental associations are lobbying to keep the number of doctors and dentist low. They won't let them go to school, they don't want to have a competition. A lot of poor people can't even see a dentist because they've kept the young people out of dental school. If they want to do something to cut the price of medicine, Medicare and all that, then send more doctors to school and let these doctors practice.

Obama's priorities

WELL, isn't that rich? Our current commander in chief, who just returned from a $14 million vacation, can't find $5 million to honor returning veterans, people who fought and died and watched their friends do the same. But he can in fact send his wife on some silly Disney show to send some kind of message. Good grief.

Messy property

WHY do the citizens of Cape Girardeau have to put up with a neighbor who lives like a pig with things piled in his car port and yard? Isn't it the city's job to keep this from happening? If I don't pay my city bill, they are on me like a chicken on a June bug. My neighbors and friends are all as puzzled as I am. Do we have any laws or rules for our community's cleanliness and health? If so, where is the enforcement? Who is in charge of this department? Whoever is in charge sure isn't doing his job.

Gas prices

IRAN makes a meaningless threat about slowing oil shipment in the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices go up $4 a barrel. Less than 24 hours later gas goes up 30 cents a gallon at the pump. So, where is the real crime here? Is it the threat from Iran, the greedy oil companies or the U.S. government turning its head away from price fixing because of lobbying money? I say it's the elected ones in Washington that continue to use the term "for the American people" when it should be "to the American people."

Streetlights out

I have noticed several streetlights out in Cape Girardeau. My understanding is that they are connected with Ameren Missouri and that they don't take care of them. I've had one out on my street for over a year now, have reported it to the city and Ameren Missouri, and they still don't want to come out and fix it. Our street is dark. Something will happen, and if it does who are the police going to put the blame on? It would be appreciated if the city could talk to Ameren and get something done.

Miller column

I just wanted to mention that I really appreciated Bob Miller's editorial recently about school uniforms in the Cape Girardeau School District. I am a parent of a Scott City School District student, and I tried to make some of the same arguments when our decision was made to go with uniforms. However, he expressed it much more elegantly. There is probably a good reason he is an editor instead of me. But I sure appreciated his nice summary of the argument.