Speak Out 1/21/08

Highway cleanup

I WOULD like to thank the Missouri Department of Transportation for the cleanup along Highway 177. It looks so much better. Thank you for a wonderful job. It hasn't gone unnoticed.

Plenty of money

AFTER BEING elected to office, Gov. Matt Blunt couldn't wait to cut Medicaid and other programs. Now that it's election time, he can't spend enough. How times have changed. Missouri has lots of money now.

Kiwanis Park

THANKS TO the city and the Kiwanis Club for the fine improvements in Kiwanis Park. The city had to fix large ruts left by a driver who apparently didn't care about the park. Now this driver has started on another curve. If it continues, the license number of the culprit will be turned into the police department.

Changing the balance

WE'VE BEEN buying clothing, shoes and cars from China and Japan for years, and it's always been terrible for our trade balance. Now that we're selling grain to China and Japan for big prices, we should celebrate. It's good for America when we sell high-priced corn to China and Japan.

Neater recycling

AT 8:20 this morning, the recycling truck passed here. Instead of tossing the empty containers as they're usually tossed, the man put them back neatly in the same area they were picked up. It was appreciated. Thank you.

What have they done?

I SAW a large sign off I-55 that said "End an error, join Democrats." I'm assuming the error is that Republicans are in the White House and the Iraq war and so on. The Democrats have been in power in Congress for a couple of years. What have the Democrats done to change the war in Iraq? What have they done to make a difference? What have they done since they've had power to end the supposed error of President Bush and the Republicans?

Low TV standards

I WOULD like to say something about television. No wonder our children are so mischievous. My goodness, women are showing almost all of their breasts, and there's all that cussing and nasty talking. Children watch that. They just laugh. No wonder this world is in such a mess.

Tax breaks

LAST YEAR'S bad joke was the contract with Big Sky Airlines. This year's bad joke is the ability of a strip mall owner to benefit from a 1 percent sales tax without benefit of the voting booth. Why are we appropriating funds for Town Plaza under the guise that it is blighted when it is not? Is this ethical? When are the common citizens of Cape Girardeau going to get a tax break instead of the developers and mall owners?

Dangerous biking

ONCE AGAIN I've had to come to a complete stop on Route W to accommodate a bike rider. I don't mind if they ride, but I am upset that when I'm going 50 mph down a road, I have to stop completely in order to accommodate the bike rider because of oncoming traffic. It's dark, and this guy's got a flashing light on. It's a danger.

Quality homes

MY QUESTION is to the contractors and builders in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. Why are so many pricey homes being built that have a brick front and three sides that are vinyl? It seems that even expensive homes don't have quality work these days. There are people who would take less square footage to have a traditional brick home that is insulated well and doesn't look like it has been thrown up.

Impatient driver

I WORK at a convenience store drive-through. During a normal morning rush I fixed a woman her soda and gave it to her. She gave me her money and asked me about our lunch. I was telling her the things we have when I heard a honk. I thought maybe it was a accident, so I continued to tell the woman about lunch. When the lady started to pull away, I stopped her to tell her that if she wanted to call ahead we would be glad to have whatever she wanted ready. I didn't get it out of my mouth when a horn honked twice. I knew that it wasn't an accident. The woman thanked me and drove away. When horn honker drove up, the first words out of her mouth was that she thought it was "rude to gossip" at the window when people are in a hurry to go to work. I explained to her I wasn't gossiping, I was doing my job. The only thing rude that happened was the honking of the horn. If you are in such a hurry that you need to honk, you need to get out of your car and get your stuff yourself.

Compassionate coroner

A FRIEND of ours recently experienced the death of a child. We were with them at the hospital. I want to thank Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton for being so caring and understanding. I know the family appreciated his compassion and professionalism.

Give us the breaks

I SEE where Republicans want to give tax breaks to big business again. Can't they see that these businesses are already getting big enough tax breaks? They need to give the American people tax breaks. When you vote, you need to think about that.