Speak Out 1/13/07

Don't impeach Bush

PRESIDENT BUSH should never be impeached. He was the president who saw us through 9-11. He's had a difficult six years. And the American public elected him twice.

Utility support

I THINK people need to think about all the reasons we need electricity. Look at the price of alcohol and beer in the last couple of years. No one seems to stop buying them. Cigarettes add up to $100 a month for something that goes up in smoke. And where are we when all these utility workers are out in a storm to get our electricity on? Less money for AmerenUE means fewer skilled workers. We need to be careful what we complain about.

Use the cameras

IF YOU run a red light, you are breaking the law. I fully support cameras at intersections. Several times I've had to wait on green while someone went through a red light. It is scary to think of an accident. Bring on the cameras and slow these people down.

Looks like junkyard

I DON'T understand how the police can ticket cars parked partially on a concrete curb when no one has done anything about an old yellow truck parked in the grass off our cul-de-sac in Ashland Hills. It looks like the start of a junkyard out here.

Poor Scooby

Scooby-Doo's creator died.

Of this I do not kid.

He's no longer Scooby-Doo.

He is Scooby-Did.

All about money

I SUGGEST that whenever the paper mentions global warming or climate change or whatever they call it this week to generate fear that they run a disclaimer saying that these stories or part of a shakedown to get money for their cause. What's their cause? More money.

Better option

IN REGARD to Sam DeReign's Jan. 9 column about Speak Out: I am a frequent user of Southeast Missouri State University's recreation center and attend many events at the Show Me Center. I have never once seen male genitalia painted on the sidewalks at the Show Me Center, but I have seen it at the rec center. Couldn't DeReign have called the rec center or the Show Me Center to let them know about this rather than putting it in the paper and making them look bad? Wouldn't you think if either one of these places knew about this they would have done something to get rid of it?

School uniforms

IN RESPONSE to the story "Jackson High School senior believes school uniforms should be a mandatory requirement": While this student makes some good points concerning the need for uniforms, I think it is still a bad idea. What about poor families who cannot afford to purchase uniforms? Some students will get into trouble and face unwarranted disciplinary action if they don't wear the uniform exactly to standards. If you feel it necessary to wear a uniform to class that strongly, enroll in a private or military school that caters to your tastes.

City blunders

THE CAPE Girardeau City Council needs to find new legal counsel if it is going to follow advice to ignore state law. I'm sure the council will be able to find the money for the minimum-wage increases, It seems to be able to find money to waste all the time. I don't think the voters will forget the blunders the council has made come election time. How unfortunate that Cape is turning into a second-class city.

Cutting corners

SURPRISE. CITY hall has to obey the law like everyone else. Shame on the mayor and city manager for trying to cut corners on the minimum wage.

No to transit subsidy

I THINK Cape County Transit should operate on its own revenue. I say no to any increase in funding that taxpayers of Cape Girardeau County should have to pay out to help cover operating costs. We are being charged enough as it is.

Cold War memories

THANKS FOR Bill Springer's op-ed column on the Cold War era. You may not agree with all that he wrote, but I also remember that time. His recollection might do some of us well to read and reflect upon.

Review security tapes

A THOUGHT occurred to me as I read the headlines regarding the missing 13-year-old in Beaufort, Mo. Why not review every gas station, automatic bank teller and all other security cameras immediately? It seems to me that would be a quick view of anyone missing.

Need the fence

WHAT WITH the president drawling "Y'all come for the guest-to-citizenship party" and the governor of California inviting all illegals to get free health care, that fence looks more cost effective every day.

Use the cameras

I AM one who would be in favor of installing red light cameras in Cape Girardeau, since my vehicle was hit by someone running a red light. I think this is one issue that Big Brother ought to take seriously. If you aren't running red lights, it's not a big deal.

Waste of time

I HOPE the judge throws out Betina Ott's lawsuit against Chaffee and the police officer involved in the chase. How can anyone be involved in something illegal and then hope to profit from it? This is another instance of a frivolous lawsuit to waste the court's time.

Young drivers

I'VE GOT a problem with people who think teenagers cannot drive and want them to wait to receive their licenses. A 74-year-old woman with Alzheimer's was sitting in my lane on a major highway. She was going to turn someplace that wasn't a turn spot. She did not know where she was. I came over the hill and hit her at 55 mph. That's been months ago, Guess where I am. I am still recuperating. Give me a teenager any day to meet on the road. Anyone can have a wreck, not just teenagers.