Speak Out 10/29/05

Keep the money here

I ALSO wish we had a riverboat here. At least once a month, my friends and I either take a trip to Caruthersville, Mo., or Metropolis, Ill. If we had a riverboat here, we could keep our money in our community and would not have to travel so far. Anyone else want a riverboat? Please speak up.

Authority misused

WARNING: IF you work hard and give 100 percent of yourself to your family, friends and community, it could be all changed in a matter of minutes because a convicted meth manufacturer sat in prison and decided he'd do whatever it took to get out. I am appalled that local and federal agents and prosecutors have such disregard for our community. They would let Scott Smith out of prison and jail a man like Greg Sparkman, who gives so much to everyone he knows. Our sheriff, John Jordan, along with local and state authorities, has worked hour upon hour to get rid of makers, users and dealers of drugs. Your tax dollars were used to put a meth manufacturer in prison. And it was your tax dollars that are being used to set him free. My prayers go out to the Sparkman family. I believe this is the most unjust misuse of authority I've ever seen.

Efficient system

THE TOWN I used to live in picked up leaves regularly. The town had several aldermen who were engineers, and they designed a unit to fit on the front of the trucks. The box on the back had mesh on upper sides and the top so leaves could be blown in. These trucks could go down the street with one man with a helper, and they could vacuum up the leaves quickly. If a truck was going down the street and there were leaves piled in front, it would stop and pick them up. A second truck was brought out if needed. The town had a shop foreman in the winter who built these units. The fan units were purchased from an area company that makes industrial equipment. That town did it so much nicer and faster than Cape Girardeau.

What's the connection?

IS IT really in the best interests of the Cape County Cowboy Church to hold prayers for the bonding out of Greg Sparkman? I simply can't imagine what the real connection is between the two. I had great respect for this church until I heard this.

Appropriate reasons

AMERICAN TRADITIONS that have, thankfully, gone by the wayside: running sewage down the hill behind farmhouses, dumping household garbage behind homes, outhouses, automobiles with no mufflers, factories spewing smoke into the atmosphere. Surely some traditions need to be put aside for health and safety reasons.

Smoking leaves

HAVING LIVED for decades in cities where there were outdoor burning bans, the recent spate of "It's an American tradition" tickles me. Do you know what cigarettes are made of? Leaves. And when you smoke a cigarette, you are burning leaves. Now tell me, what is the difference between tobacco leaves, oak leaves and maple leaves? Remember when the tobacco-tax increase comes up for vote next year that you like leaf burning.