Speak Out 10/30/05

Not near my nose

I HOPE Jackson is paying attention and taking notes. Our air quality is a burning issue too. My dad used to say that "the other person's rights end at my nose." I think this applies beautifully to cigarettes and the burning-leaves issue.

No guarantee

IN RESPONSE to the caller who thinks college is the answer to making better than minimum wage. I went to college on a Pell Grant but also had to use student loans so I could support my household while I completed school. Now that I have graduated, it is time to repay those loans. The most I have been offered since graduating is $8.50 an hour. So college is not always the answer to avoiding poverty.

Poor example

THIS IS in regard to the Boy Scout recruitment article. I have a son who participated in Scouts in Cape Girardeau. We were happy with the leaders and activities. We moved to Scott City and wished to continue with the program there. We attended a recruiting rally and had every intention of his joining. However, the Scout leader was greeting people at the door with a cigarette dangling out of his mouth, and he continued smoking throughout the meeting. His uniform was slovenly with stains. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was not going to let my boy go on weekend trips with such a poor example of a man. I should have notified the council of his behavior and appearance at the time. We did not join Scouts for this reason. This may have caused others to not join as well and is reflected in the recruitment numbers in Scott City.

Wonderful pets

GOATS ARE banned in Cape Girardeau? The city should reconsider. Goats make wonderful pets. They are as loyal as a dog, they don't make a lot of noise and they keep your grass trimmed short. The city should allow such pets as goats and chickens within the city limits if the homeowner's lot is of substantial size.

Burning is best

THOSE COMPLAINING of smoke from leaf burning have the same type of complaints as those who have peanut allergies. A minority of people want to impose restrictions on the majority. In Jackson we have no organized city leaf pickup unless you want to bag up the leaves in trash bags. I have four trees in my yard that would yield about 30 bags of leaves. Its so much easier to burn them. Keep your windows closed. I do. If you still have smoke seeping into your house, you have more problems than leaf burning. Your heating and cooling bills must be sky high.

Different reaction

I ALSO have talked to several veterans back from Iraq. They are shocked at what they were sent over there for. They say they watch the news and can't believe there is not more criticism. The appreciation by the Iraqis is heartwarming, but the vets also felt it was a complete waste of time.

Mark of Cain

I AM against the death penalty because God is. After Cain killed Abel, he told God he was afraid of being killed in retribution, so God put a mark on him so others would know not to kill him. Read it for yourself. It is in Genesis.

It won't be easy

TO THE mayor and city council: If you plan on outlawing burning within the city limits, you'll have to pry this rake from my cold, dead hands.

Happens all the time

I MOVED away from Cape Girardeau out of high school and just recently moved back. I think it's funny that everyone in support of Greg Sparkman thinks it's atrocious that prosecutors are taking the word of a convicted drug dealer or user to get a conviction. It happens all the time in the black community. The police and judges take the word of a lot of drug users and dealers who are trying to get out of trouble. A lot of innocent people end up in jail. My prayers are with the Sparkman family.

Cleaning house

DID YOU ever notice that many of the people who are or were on Medicaid smoke cigarettes, buy lottery tickets and have jewelry studs in their ear, nose, lip or all of the above? Our governor knows this, and that's why he's in there cleaning house.

Floating rust

I'VE GOT a question for the Convention and Visitors Bureau people. Is it possible for anyone who wants to bring a rusty piece of junk to tie it up at our new waterfront? Can anyone do this?

Bad timing

WITH MORE than a quarter-million people out of work from the horrific hurricanes and flooding, I find it horribly offensive to Americans for the president to push this work visa idea. What is he thinking? We need to increase border patrols, not open the borders up.

Something to remember

SOMETHING IT appears many politicians have overlooked or forgotten, when cutting health programs and giving us less for our Social Security than they themselves receive: "Do not cast me off in the time of old age. Do not forsake me when my strength is spent." Psalms 71:9.

Not a good spot

STUDENTS ATTENDING the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center need to find a better place to hang out than the middle of Silver Springs Road. The road is open now, and the hangout spot hasn't changed.

Consider the testing

GRANTED, TRAVELING a tad under the speed limit is not a crime, but impeding traffic is. If someone is driving at less than the speed limit and has at least five cars backed up, he is required by law to pull over to let the traffic pass. This is not a big deal on multiple-lane roads, but what happens when you have two people driving side-by-side under the speed limit? Slow driving is another reason why the United States needs to re-evaluate how it tests and retests drivers.

Is anyone checking?

WITH THE recent front-page news regarding children living in unfit homes, I began to wonder about a few other things. When families receive welfare, whether it be a two-parent home or a single-parent home, does any government agency check up to see if parents are providing an ideal home situation for these children? My tax dollars are being spent on parents who cannot take care of their own, so I want some accountability. Being poor doesn't mean you have to live dirty.

Keep it to yourself

FOR THOSE of you love quoting from the Bible and telling others how to live there lives: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" Matthew 7:1-3. If you are a religious person, good for you. Just stop telling others how to live.

Ruining bar's business

I AM a bar owner in Jackson. I agree that people should never drink and drive. We offer designated drivers. But the police insist on sitting on top of my business, stopping people who leave my place of business, whether they have been drinking or not. This is my only source of income. I think it's wrong of the police department to do this. Please don't drink and drive. But stop ruining my business.