Speak Out 11/02/04

They are adults

HOW DOES wearing pajamas and carrying a cell phone constitute a frat party? Government cannot set standards in a public university that would violate students' constitutional rights. University students are over 18 years old. They are adults, which means the role of the institution is not the same as in high school.

Highway crossing

I WOULD like to make a comment about the overhead walkway above Highway 74 just west of Sprigg Street. Supposedly, the reason for this to be built was because the neighborhood kids were tearing the fence down to cross the highway. I don't know who footed the bill for this, but I think it would have made a whole lot more sense to erect a six-foot fence with barbed-wire on top to deter the vandals instead of spending thousands of dollars an overhead walkway that isn't handicap accessible. Besides, the walkway is not even a block away from Sprigg Street, where anyone has access to a sidewalk that crosses Highway 74.

Official boogeymen

THE WAR on terror will never be over. It will just change locations. Like the war on drugs, prostitution, pornography and the many others that will follow, it is a war on humanity. These wars will never be won. The government will just keep creating new boogeymen to frighten us with.

A livable wage

THE OTHER day I was in a discount store and I saw an elderly woman who was a checker. I thought it's more than likely she made just a little above minimum wage. That's at least an $11-an-hour job. I know people scoff at the middle-income people and say they don't pay taxes. But that person is worth every bit of a livable wage.

A great party

MY HUSBAND and I went to the Monster Bash put on by Southeast Missouri Hospital. Everyone involved did a fabulous job. The food was delicious. The band was fabulous. It was just really a good time for all. I would like to see those girls who were dressed up as KISS win the costume contest, because they were creative and detailed. Who better to win the Monster Bash than the monsters of rock? Anyway, we really had a good time, and we definitely intend to go next year.

History lesson

SOMEONE SAID the Confederate flag was the flag of people wishing to destroy the United States. There may be some truth to that, but it was people who did not want to belong to the Union. They thought they had a right leave, as did Thomas Jefferson, who said no one should be required to stay in the Union. He said he hoped that one part of the United States would not be pinned to the rest of it with a bayonet. The South seceded was over tariffs and corruption in the Lincoln administration. The rest, as they say, is history. It's awful that people don't understand history.

Paid enough

A TEACHER said she makes less than a fast-food worker. I'm a teacher and do all the same things. I've divided it out, and I don't make less than a fast-food worker. I make quite a bit more. I think I get paid just about the right amount. If I didn't, I wouldn't sign my contract. I'd go get a job doing something else that pays more where I could still have an impact on children's lives. There are a lot of those jobs out there.

Not terrorists

I HATE people who use the term "terrorists" so lightly. The Confederacy was not terroristic. It was people who firmly believed in what they believed. It was a movement.

A good thing

MY DOG got off his leash yesterday. My son was devastated. That's his pet and best friend. The humane society called today and said some girls had found the dog and they took care of him overnight. They brought my dog back home for me. They had taken such good care of him. I want to tell those girls thank you so much for improving the day of my child. You've done a good thing.