Speak Out 1/14/05

Lights still cheery

I'D JUST like to say that I really appreciate all the people around town who leave their Christmas lights up. January's such a dreary month anyway, and it lifts my mood every time I see those lights .

Driving tips

WHEN ONE gets a driver's license, the state tests the individual for basic driving skills. Driving tests need to be more comprehensive. Driving classes should be treated as one of the most important classes in school. Young people should also know basic vehicle maintenance. Headlights and taillights need to be cleaned in the winter. Do not hold traffic just because you are too busy talking on your cell or you have one hand on the wheel and one hand on a burger or that favorite cancer stick. I recommend turning on your lights day and night. And don't forget that little lever on the side that you move up and down that tells those around you that you are changing lanes or turning off the highway.

Mother city

CAPE GIRARDEAU is the right size as it is. Jackson's growing right into Cape. Scott City will one day start growing into Cape. But Cape will always be the mother city, so what's the big deal?

Thanks to Ameren

I WANT to commend the AmerenUE crew and any other emergency workers who worked so diligently through Sunday night to restore power to residents of the Snake Hill area. These workers put our welfare above their own, and it is time we recognize the fact. Thanks from a thankful citizen.

Hole needs protection

DURING THE last snowstorm, I saw cars slide off Kage Road and across a big hole on the east side of Kage Road. This hole is about 10 feet by about 8 feet and about 6 feet deep. We've all realized that it would be dangerous. It's dangerous if a bicycle or a motorcycle or a car fell in that hole. Somebody could get killed. I'm requesting that the city put a metal grate over the top of the hole or a strong guardrail around it.

Renewable energy

SEN. JIM Talent wrote a wonderful column promoting renewable energy such as biodiesel and ethanol. I am all for it. The future of the United States is to have our own renewable energy and quit spending money with OPEC. While we're doing renewable energy, let's do more solar, wind power and hydro-electric dams. Let's do anything that's renewable.

Eliminate extra lane

I JUST read your article about the mayor saying that Cape Girardeau must address the Lexington Avenue bottleneck. I would hope so, since the city created it. The city made it about 10 times worse when it added that extra lane coming across from Mount Auburn Road that all of a sudden disappears as motorists are trying to blend in with the Lexington traffic. The city created this mess and then asked the state to come in and fix it. Why not get rid of that lane? That would make a lot of difference right there.

Enforce snow routes

AFTER THE 1979 snowstorm, the city council in Cape Girardeau passed an ordinance designating certain streets as snow routes. Parking was to be prohibited on those streets whenever 3 inches of snow had accumulated. The city does not enforce that. I think it would be a lot easier to remove the snow if the snow plows didn't have to go around cars in the street .

Informed decisions

I'M AN educator, and I believe exposing children to all options and letting them make decisions for themselves. If that makes me moronic, then so be it. That's part of what education is. You don't always tell the kids exactly what's right and wrong. We don't have all the answers. There is no way science can prove it is 100 percent correct, and there's no way Christians can prove that the Bible is 100 percent correct. So we present both views and let students make informed decisions.