Speak Out 11/05/03

It brings in money

I AM always amazed about the community's lack of understanding about the university's athletic department. Cutting the athletic department would be a major mistake. There are a lot of alumni who donate money to the school just for athletics, myself included. Every time a sports team plays in a major tournament or is on TV, the university gets money. Contrary to what many of you think, the athletic department does create revenue.

Flimsy reputation

DID I read that Speak Out right? Someone actually thinks SEMO isn't as good as Truman State? Have you ever been to Kirksville, Mo., the home of Truman State? I currently live there after I graduated from SEMO last year. It is nothing to be proud of. I know all the hype about it being the Harvard of the Midwest. But if you talk to some students, most will tell you how terrible it is.

Try signs instead

I CAN appreciate the Central High School students and others wanting to rename the street, but instead of fighting the landowners and taking up the city council's time with this, why don't they put up signs on their property stating that "You are now entering Tiger Country" and on the other side "You are now leaving Tiger Country, thanks for visiting"? Sounds good to me.

You chose a floodplain

I HAVE some harsh news for the folks in Southeast Missouri. It's called a floodplain for a reason. When your ancestors decided to live in that region, presumably they made a cost-benefit analysis on floods and profits versus no floods, and decided on floods and profits. It is unreasonable of you to ask taxpaying Americans to bail you out.

Need to be informed

SYNDICATED COLUMNIST Kathleen Parker has it backwards. When a president is sending our sons and daughters to kill and be killed in an unjustifiable war, it is essential to democracy that the voters become informed and critical.

Inappropriate explosion

MAYBE IT'S because of the times we live in, but it somehow seems inappropriate to me to have a contest to determine who will get to end the life of the old Mississippi River bridge by blowing it up.

Don't burn; mow leaves

WE LIVE in the county and in the woods. We don't burn our leaves. We mow them until they are in little pieces. Our grass does not die from this, so yours will not die from small bits of leaves. Unfortunately, the people in subdivisions around us prefer burning their leaves instead of mowing them. Being downwind from them, we cannot open our windows. Our family has been sick with sinus infections for two weeks. Quit burning your leaves. Not only could we all enjoy the fall, but we could see the beauty of it again instead of a smoky haze.

Burning affects health

PEOPLE IN this town act as though burning leaves is a right. Someone even said that surely their neighbors would be patient with a little smoke. That's what's wrong. These people think it's just a little smoke. Burning leaves puts a foul stench in the air that lasts for days and causes people with asthma and other breathing problems to be prisoners in their homes or suffer the consequences of venturing into their own yards. My son has asthma and can't even go into his own yard and play. The city picks up leaves for a reason. Please use that service.

Protests come true

ANYONE REMEMBER the lyrics of the Bob Dylan Vietnam protest song: "How many deaths will it take 'til they see that too many people have died?" Months ago the protesters were scorned for suggesting Iraq was a new Vietnam. Now another claim from the protesters is coming to pass.

Subsidizing athletics

THE SPEAK Out critic who claimed that cutting athletics at SEMO would cost money because it would reduce the number of student athletes should be informed that most athletes do not pay tuition and are subsidized by taxpayers and tuition-paying students. Local boosters may want Division I athletics, but the average taxpayer in Kansas City or St. Louis cares more about academics than SEMO sports. The problem at SEMO is that the university has been hijacked from Missouri taxpayers by a few locals. Current and future students will pay the price.

Really cool teacher

I AM enjoying the series on Jason Bandermann, the teacher at Central Junior High School. It's well-written and engaging. He seems like a really cool teacher. Why won't those students listen to him?

No-win situation

PICK YOUR poison. If we fail to stay the course and help build a stable and viable representative democracy in Iraq, all of our efforts will have been in vain. If we do stick it out and get the job done, we will be there for several centuries.