Speak Out 10/6/11

Support the arts

I had the treat of taking a youth group to the dress rehearsal of "Into the Woods," and the play captivated parents and teens alike. It was an incredibly professional performance with the talented cast, fantastic sets and, of course, wonderful storylines. The same group enjoyed the recent open house at the River Campus. There are definitely some great things going on at the River Campus these days, and I recommend everyone who either enjoys live theater or has never tried it to buy a ticket and support the arts in our community.

Postal Service

NOT everyone has computers. The elderly do not. People in the rural areas have such bad Internet service that if they do have a computer, they may not have Internet access. Since they changed the TV service, now many in rural areas barely have TV. Not everyone can afford satellites. Keep the Postal Service.

Bike lanes

HERE we go again. A $250,000 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health for 16 miles of bike lanes. That's $15,625 per mile for this boondoggle. You hear the word grant and everyone thinks free money, but I'm sure the taxpayers are on the hook for this in some way. If they're so concerned about people's health, why not take the $250,000 to fix the streets so the motorists won't have back problems and whiplash from dodging all the potholes in the road?

St. Louis vs. Cape

WHEN we went to St. Louis recently two things struck me about the motorists. For one thing, people up there seem to know they are supposed to have windshield wipers on whenever your headlights are on or whenever there's dense fog. I've noticed people in Southeast Missouri don't seem to understand this. Also, why is gas 30 to 35 cents a gallon cheaper in St. Louis than it is in Cape Girardeau?

Obama's math

OBAMA talks about raising the tax rate on millionaires and about raising taxes on any couple making more $250,000 a year. I have never heard where $250,000 equals $1 million, yet he speaks as if it does. Somebody needs to explain some math to him, among other things, because he doesn't know it.

U.N. membership

IT looks like the U.S. is going to block membership to the U.N. by the Palestinians. You know who they are, don't you? They parade their streets, saying, "Death to America." And of course, they're always at odds with Israel. The puzzling side of this is that right after Hillary Clinton became secretary of state, she went there and gave them over $900 million. Wouldn't you like that one explained?

'The Talk'

I would like to know what in the world CBS was thinking when they put Cheryl Underwood on "The Talk." She is the most disgusting woman I have ever seen, and I can't stand to watch it anymore. I hope they take her off soon.

Recycling system

I tried to recycle what the city told me I could, but when they came by to pick my recyclable materials up they wouldn't take them because they said I had a couple items in there that weren't supposed to be in there. But I had in there what they told me to put in there. Is anybody else not satisfied with the trash pickup we have in Cape Girardeau?

Repair the trail

THE walking trail between the Shawnee Park area and the Osage Centre has been a wonderful addition to the city. However, the spring rains and flooding have washed away part of the trail and it continues to fall into the creek. I was wondering when the city might get around to repairing that.