Speak Out 10/3/05

Bad behavior

BABIES ARE rude. Kids are rude. Pre-teens are rude. Teens are rude. Young adults are rude. So are middle-aged adults and geezers. We are, as a species, humans behaving badly.

Smelly water

I AM getting a foul odor when I use my water faucet. I wonder if anybody else is having the same problem.

Rental upkeep

IN RESPONSE to the comment about landlords keeping their rental properties clean on the outside. What about the renters? Don't the tenants have a responsibility regarding the way the property is kept? I am a renter. I mow my own yard. I pick up my own clutter. I take care of it. I I care about the way my place looks.

Skewed salaries

THE PERSON who quoted the average American salary as $38,000 surprised a lot of readers. The manager who said he makes less than $38,000 was surprised. It is no surprise to me. "Average" means that the corporate executive salaries are factored into the national average. Those execs are making millions. Average those into the $20,000 salary a lot of folks around here make, and it makes the nation's average income look great. I would like to know about the average salaries for those who make less than those who are in the upper tax bracket, then we'd know more about the plight of those earning less. The percentage of Americans in the upper tax bracket is small, but their salaries skew the average American salary.

Unsafe streets

REGARDING SPEED bumps on city streets in Cape Girardeau: Most of Cape needs them. People drive like maniacs on Perryville Road and just about any other street in town. It's a joke when people say we should conserve energy and ride bikes or scooters. We would get run over.

Remember to yield

TO THE person having problems merging onto the interstate: Perhaps you missed the sign on the ramp that says "Yield." That means you wait until the traffic has passed to enter the interstate.

I was scammed

A PHONE call informed me I had been awarded a $12,000 grant. The caller asked me for my bank account number. I was leery, but I really wanted the grant so I could start a business. I authorized $29.95 to be taken from my account and was told the grant would be credited to my bank account. The next thing I knew more money was taken from my account until it was $20 overdrawn. I've lost well over $500. I will be opening a new account, and you can bet I will never give out my bank account number again, no matter what. I hope letting the public know about this will help others not to do what I did.

Moral decay

TOM DeLAY is not a corrupt politician. Rush Limbaugh wasn't a drug addict. Bill Bennett was not a degenerate gambler. And George Bush did not evade combat service in Vietnam by joining the Texas Air National Guard. Anyone want to buy the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge? The lack of moral fiber among Republicans is destroying this country.

Passing the buck

I'M SO sick of hearing people trying to pin an ignorant mayor and an obstinate governor's problems on everybody but themselves. People are whining about the federal government not taking care of them. It's not the government's responsibility. The federal government did save the day. However it and President Bush won't get any of the credit for many years. And we're still going to get stuck with the bill for rebuilding a tenement in a swamp.

Sounds familiar

I AGREE with David Limbaugh that there is a blood lust to get President Bush. The sharks are in the water. The blood lust is similar to that designed to get the Clintons and led by Limbaugh.