Speak Out 1/24/07

Exercise incentive

THERE'S SO much talk about exercise. Perhaps if a man were to give his wife Justin Timberlake's CD. That should be enough to make any girl want to exercise plus make her feel sexy. I think Justin Timberlake can make any woman want to exercise.

Underground utilities

I APPRECIATE what the utility company does when the lights go out. The workers are risking their lives, especially in thunderstorms. I heard on the radio today that Gov. Matt Blunt wants underground utilities, which makes sense, but the utility company said the customers would have to pay for it. Wouldn't underground utilities be better than paying your employees time and a half every time the lights go out? It would be cost-effective in the long run.

No comparison

HOW DARE anyone compare an ice storm to flooding in New Orleans. There's a big difference in having faith Ameren will get your electricity turned back on and the hopelessness of your home being gone. Don't think for a minute that an ice storm compares to a major catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina.

Thanks for help

I WOULD like to thank the young man who works at a convenience store on Route K for helping me. I was trying to get gasoline in my car early Friday morning. He came out and said, "I see you're having trouble, ma'am, let me help you." He filled my car with gas, he was pleasant, and I thanked him so much. He said, "It's my pleasure."

Library support

I HOPE folks will turn out to support the library tax. The current space is too small. I like to attend public events there, and it's great to have a place that doesn't charge admission.

Too much evil

IT RIPS my heart out to read the gruesome stories of children who are being hurt, tortured and murdered. Some of the stories, like the James Bugler case in 1993, are just to much to read. I don't understand all the evil in this world. I hope and pray that I can protect my child, and I pray for those families who have to go through these unbearable and unspeakable situations.

School day care

I CANNOT believe the Cape Girardeau School District thinks it should run a day care. It is having trouble educating kids in K-12. It is not the public schools' responsibility to raise children. That's the job of the parent, for better or for worse. It's too bad that you can take you kid out of public school, but you still have to pay taxes to support such insanity.

Day-care questions

I HAVE questions regarding the preschool being contemplated by Cape Girardeau School District for the NARS employees. According to the news article, it would cost the district approximately $400,000 a year to set up a preschool for the new business. Will the school district do this for other businesses coming to town? What if an employee wants to use the day care but lives in Jackson or Scott City? Would my tax dollars be used to educate students other than those living in Cape Girardeau? Why would Cape schools spend $400,000 to compete with our local day cares?

Pro-life question

I HEAR so much about people being pro-life in this area. I think that is a wonderful thing. But I want to ask these people: If a child that is not aborted is born homosexual, are these same people going to fight for equal rights such as marriage for this child? Or are they going to allow this child to be born into a world of hate and discrimination?

Facts about Iraq

THERE WAS a recent comment about U.S. troops being slaughtered in Iraq. The death rate for U.S. troops is the lowest in any conflict. Iraq's murder rate is lower than 16 American cities. Violence is limited to two provinces in Iraq, but the general public is either too lazy or too ignorant to learn the facts.

Smaller classes

I ALSO would like to congratulate Leopold School District for its high rating. However, for those who think larger schools should be able to meet the same standards, please remember that class sizes at Leopold are much smaller than in cities like Cape Girardeau. This is not because of better funding by the district, but because of the smaller population of the area. Also, Leopold has less than 25 percent of its students on free/reduced lunches, compared to area schools with higher than 90 percent qualifying as well as much larger populations calling for larger student-to-teacher ratios. If everyone thinks larger districts can do so much better, reach into your pockets and be willing to shell out higher taxes so that we too can get smaller class sizes. Anyone willing to tell the district it can do better should take time to volunteer and see what local teachers are up against in the classroom.

Heading for '1984'

THE PERSON who said she would keep her child home from school for no good reason if she wanted sounds like someone actually thinking about bucking the loss of personal freedoms in this country. America has been slow (so we won't notice it so much) in moving toward Orwell's "1984." In a few generations, we should make it.

More Christmas, not less

INSTEAD OF being so eager to see the Christmas lights gone, maybe we should learn from other areas that celebrate the winter season with Christmas lights from November to February. Communities could draw tourism dollars to the area by getting businesses and the community involved in catering to those of us who enjoy the festiveness Christmas lights.

Crowning blow

MY FAITH in our nation's future has taken and recovered from a lot of blows in my 70 years. But an 11-year prison sentence for two Border Patrol agents because they shot a drug smuggler is the crowning blow. The fat lady sings.

Money back?

SO, WHAT happens to those of us who dutifully put up mailboxes at our own expense when we didn't want to? Will the U.S. Postal Service be reimbursing us for our troubles? If it won't reimburse us, I guess I'll get satisfaction seeing postal carriers walk from the front porches to the street many more times than would have otherwise happened.