Speak Out 10/7/10

Dog park

THE Cape Girardeau city council says we need a dog park. Look at our streets. Look at all the people that are hungry. They say we need a dog park? You've got to be kidding.

Constitution Day

ANOTHER Constitution Day has passed and there was little coverage in the media. What most people forget is that our Founding Fathers were so fearful of a strong, central government, that our first form of government was not the Constitution but the Articles of Confederation. The confederation was too weak, so the process to construct our Constitution began. I wonder what our Founding Fathers would say today?

Big government

HAS anybody noticed, governments tend to get bigger and bigger over time? We need to think about a way to make government smaller. Think about our parks system. The state generally will buy a new park periodically, but they never sell an old state park back to the industry. The federal government does the same thing.

Angels among us

I would like to thank the lady at Country Mart that helped me pay for my groceries when I didn't have enough to pay for them. She is an angel. Thank you again.

Casino location

I live across the river in East Cape Girardeau and go to a casino boat once or twice a month. My husband and I are retired and know how much we can spend. It's just entertainment. Sometimes, we may spend $50 a piece. Cape Girardeau would be close for us, and I would go to Cape Girardeau before I'd go to a casino in Illinois.

Political calls

WHAT can I do to get these politicians off my phone? If they call and I can hang up on them, they still talk to my answering machine. I wouldn't mind it so much, but you can't disconnect the calls. This is a safety hazard. This is an invasion of my privacy.

Casinos are a gimmick

I hope everyone read the letters to the editor by Dr. Kamath and Terry Rollins of Cape Girardeau regarding the casino. They were right on target when they wrote how compulsive gambling overtakes a family and marriage. The children reflect this tension in their schoolwork. The city coffers always need more funds. The allure of the money for projects is comparable to a child and his Christmas wish list. You don't get something for nothing. We call that a gimmick.

Highway safety

I have lived on Highway 177 for almost 40 years. During that time, there have been nearly 20 accidents in front of our home, and at least one accident caused the death of the driver. It's not just the people going to work for Fru-Con, Procter & Gamble, Nordenia and other places. It's also the Hummer-driving mothers taking their children to school at Nell Holcomb. I've lost count of how many times parents have passed me only to whip into the school driveway at 3 p.m. to pick up their children. It's irresponsible.

Newspaper in hand

I do use a lot of technology, but Joe Sullivan, I'm with you. There's nothing like sitting and reading the newspaper.

Too many casinos

IF you want to go to a riverboat, you can go to Metropolis or Caruthersville or even drive down to Memphis -- which gives you a great excuse for a vacation. I don't see how they think one in Cape Girardeau can make any money if there's one in Caruthersville, one in Metropolis and one in Memphis.

Casinos and bingo

IF you want to go to a casino in Cape Girardeau, I don't care. However, if the casino vote fails, stop all bingo. Sounds fair to me.

Casino fun

I frequent casinos about six times a year in St. Louis, Metropolis and Tunica, and I think they're great. I'm a senior, and I especially love seeing so many seniors out and about at casinos having a good time. It's a social experience and a lot more entertaining than staying home and watching TV. Of course you do stand a good chance of losing money in a casino, but you can also easily lose your money in the stock market. Talk about gambling.

Foolish spending

THE city of Cape Girardeau is already planning how they would spend the revenue generated by a casino. They suggest spending the money, albeit foolishly, on a dog park, trees and a vegetable garden. Don't you think we need more police officers and firefighters in our city? Don't you think we need to invest in common sense needs instead of flushing our money down the toilet? Please wake up, city of Cape Girardeau.

Counting chickens

I think the mayor and city council of Cape Girardeau are counting their chickens before they hatch. We do not have a casino yet, and if I have my way about it, we won't.