Speak Out 10/24/14

Fire tax

The city of Cape Girardeau is begging for you, the sales tax payer or consumer, to continue a tax for another 21 years. Keep in mind that they will still get half of this tax forever because you, the voter, consented to this in 2004. The other half expires this year. After voters turned down taxes in April and in August, they still want more and more, this time hiding more spending in the name of safety. Do not fall for this scheme. A "no" vote still grants the city to collect a one-eighth of a percent forever, collecting $2.4 million per year.

Thank you

Thank you to the Dalton father and son for going out of their way to return my billfold that was lost. My wish is to thank them personally for their kindness.

Standardized test

Do not become complacent. Even through Teach Great has dropped its support of a very poorly written constitutional amendment, Amendment 3 will still be on the Nov. 4 ballot. Amendment 3 will steal control of a community's school handing it over to Jefferson City politically-appointed bureaucrats. It will stop teachers from addressing the true needs of a child's education and force them to teach to a state mandated standardized test. A child will endure more standardized testing causing him or her more stress in the classroom. These standardized tests are not cheap. A school district will divert funds from the classroom to purchase the test; money that would be better spent teaching a child how to become a critical thinker. Amendment 3 is bad for local schools. On Nov. 4, vote "no" on Amendment 3.

Travel ban

I am very, very upset. It's no longer a matter of just ideology, if it ever was, with our beloved president. I saw that he announced that now we've got new, tougher screenings at five points of entry for people who come in from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, screening them for Ebola. And it's expected to catch 150 people a day. Why is anybody from these places coming into the United States? It's ridiculous. At 150 people a day plus, because that only catches 94 percent of them that travel, our border ought to be closed to those countries like they are in several other countries in the world. Period.

Veteran, bureau

Dear Speak Out: I am the person who called about the VA refusing a photo ID card, unless I joined. I want to say a special thanks to the person who replied and said to go to the state license bureau. I did. They were glad to issue me a new driver's license with the veteran's emblem on the back. My license needed renewing anyway. So that was all I had to pay. Thanks to the Missourian's Speak Out and the person who answered my question.