Speak out 10/8/04

Rottweiler alert

ROTTWEILERSCAN be very gentle, but the same gentle dogs can turn on you, your family or friends in a heartbeat and inflict serious injury or death. Statistics prove Rottweilers are the No. 1 dog involved in fatal attacks, especially attacks involving children -- often the children of the owners of the dogs. Personally I think anyone who wants to own a Rottweiler should be required to have a fenced yard, and the dogs should not be allowed outside the yard unless they are on a leash.

Little costs mount up

I AM sick and tired of hearing how the Cape Girardeau School District is broke, yet the district doesn't do anything to save money that's suggested by parents even when it makes perfectly good sense. I received two of my kids' six-week grades. One is a sophomore, one is a senior. Both had three or four inserts with their grades. Some were about senior pictures and buying a senior ad. I can understand this being in my senior's envelope, but it was also in my sophomore's envelope. Those are paper costs. That may sound petty, but I work in a school where paper costs are one of our biggest expenses. We've cut down tremendously, and it's made a significant difference in our budget. It is by watching the small things that should make a difference in the big things.

Sick view of life

IN ANSWER to the Speak Out comment that said "if you're pro-life like I am, you should support abortion so you won't criminalize women and doctors involved." I hardly think that's pro-life. Who speaks for the unborn child? Where is the compassion for the child, for human life? Why is it that a child fighting for his life in the womb is nothing to pro-choice supporters, but if he happens to get out unaborted, they want to protect every civil right he has? What a sick view of life.

Intersection connection

THE PEOPLE who live near Farmington and Route D in Jackson should just stop complaining, because it won't take long for this intersection to look old anyway. Widening it is not a very smart thing, because kids walk to school along this street. The trailer court is there. Those children need the pathway to walk to school. Just to make something look pretty when you're talking about children getting to school doesn't seem practical.

Put Cape on the map

UNLESS THE date of the City of Roses Music Festival is changed, you aren't going to be able to bring in the type of people that a professional promoter would encourage. I think Cape Girardeau needs something to put it on the map. I thought when they were bringing big-name acts it was something worth doing.

Need recycling solution

SCOTT CITY seems to have had a good recycling program going, and I think maybe they were showing some profit. Now they seem to have nipped it in the bud by taking away the containers. I don't like having to drive across the railroad tracks to the recycling places to deposit my plastic and aluminum. I realize a few people abused the privilege by putting things in that shouldn't have been put in, and sometimes they don't put their cardboard in the container like it's supposed to be. But all in all, is it not worth it? After all, they are trying to get stuff out of the trash and into recycling. More of mine is going into to trash now than it did before. I wish they would rethink this and come up with a solution.

Mandatory treatment

REGARDING UNDERAGE drinking: The answer is tougher love, harsher penalties and stricter enforcement. The only problem is that children see their parents willfully breaking the law by not drinking responsibly so why should they? Police officers do a terrific job of getting offenders off the roads. But usually in 24 hours most are back in their cars. Everyone knows with some money and the right lawyer, DUIs aren't really as bad as one may think. After three or four DUIs, it's pretty clear that the person has an alcohol disease and needs help. We need mandatory designated treatment after so many violations. Kids do what they see.