Speak Out 1/11/03

Survey follow-up

THE JACKSON School District took surveys of parents. I have some scholastic concerns about my child. I just wonder whether these surveys were looked at. I wonder whether there has been any attempt to have teachers follow through on good suggestions where scholastics seem to be lacking and what they can do to make the Jackson School District better.

Mail guidelines

MY NEW Year's resolution is to pay more attention to my mail. I mailed all my friends and relatives Christmas cards that were in square envelopes. They were all returned with postage due. My postmaster informed me that most letters are processed on machines that are designed for rectangular envelopes. Square letters can't be processed by these machines. He gave me a list of mail guidelines. Put your stamp in the upper right hand corner as close to the edge as possible. Seal your letter and be sure to tear off that extra flap on some of the business-reply envelopes. Put a return address on the front, not on back of envelopes. Don't put coins, ink pens, keys, jewelry or lollipops in a standard envelope. They will not arrive at their destination. If they do, you're lucky. Don't put pictures in drop boxes. Give them to the postal clerk and have them marked "manual mail." I have put this list on my desk for a reminder. All my friends will receive their mail on time this year. Happy new year.

Don't change tax rates

REVENUE FROM the taxes that the Cape Girardeau City Council wants to raise fluctuates depending on how much business goes on in the city. If there's more business and more sales, the city automatically gets more revenue. If more people move to Cape Girardeau and build fancy new houses, their property values go up and the city automatically gets more revenue. We don't need to raise the tax rates. All the city needs to do is prosper, and it will have plenty of taxes. If the city's not prospering, then we can't afford to pay more taxes. So leave the tax rates where they are. Do not raise tax rates.

Democrats have a plan

DAVID LIMBAUGH recently wrote that the Democrats were bankrupt when it came to ideas. I don't buy that. Democrats have come up with an economic-stimulus and tax package that is advantageous to all taxpayers and not just the relatively wealthy.

We have enough

CAPE GIRARDEAU does not need to raise taxes to give the police pay raises. What it needs to do is wait until some officers retire or leave the force and not fill those positions. For a town this size, we certainly have more than enough police officers.

Praying in school

A STUDENT isn't going to be suspended or arrested for praying in school. He can pray all day if he likes, as long as it doesn't infringe on the learning of others and a school employee is not leading it. Quit acting like students are being persecuted.

New taxes not needed

HERE WE go again, Cape Girardeau voters. Another tax increase is possible. And to make it attractive, the city has added a water park to the issue. What kind of fools do they take us for? If there is a need for a water park in Cape Girardeau, then it should be built and operated by the private sector. As for a new police station, why? The one we have is just fine. Clean it up a little bit. As for a new fire station, I don't see a need for it. Maybe we should cut back on employees and pay those who are left more money. In short, the city needs to learn to live within its means as most of us have to do. I love this city, but I do not trust its leaders.

Wrong priorities

ISN'T IT amazing that we might spend $200 billion on a war for oil and at the same time give tax breaks for the rich when we can't even help people with their unbelievably expensive medications? What kind of country is this?

Wincing Wilson

AS DAVID Frum's frightening piece seemed to indicate, President Bush has become such a gung-ho advocate for exporting democracy it would make Woodrow Wilson wince.

Unproved techniques

THOSE WHO praise the alleged virtues of the Princeton Review and other ACT-SAT preps are likely in the business of making money off of techniques never statistically demonstrated to be worth one whit in helping one achieve high college-entrance exam scores or improving them.

Not a big worry

Political correctness is not my worry as a parent as much as schools providing good academics. I think our school tends to stay away from political correctness. At least I haven't noticed too much emphasis being placed on my child regarding political correctness, and I'm grateful for that as a parent.