Speak Out 11/1/05

Chaffee's gas prices

I AM happy for the people in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, where gasoline prices are falling steadily. Here in Chaffee, the price is still $2.79 a gallon -- higher than the national average price posted in the paper. Wonder why?

Special needs

THE COMMENT that children from abused homes are judged by their teachers and principals is correct. They are usually judged as children who need extra love, guidance and attention. If that's a sin, I'm guilty.

Marching orders

WE ELECTED our federal legislators to be conservative. The conservative ideas are the best way to help the people of the United States. Now our legislators should go do the hard work to give people more opportunity with a little less government.

Inappropriate dancing

I ATTENDED the Southeast Missouri Hospital Showcase and had an absolute blast. It was a great fund raiser and Halloween party. I would like to say to the three ladies on the dance floor that there is a time and place for everything, and a fund raiser is not the place for your routine. Have a little class. Do that elsewhere. Tacky is all I can say.

Better elsewhere

WHAT A bunch of complainers and whiners we have in Cape Girardeau. People are complaining about leaf burning, trash burning, grass in the street and other things. A lot of them say how much it was better in the city where they come from. If it's so much better where they come from, why did they come here?

Hand out C-rations

I WAS in the Marine Corps, and we had C-rations for two years. When these storms come, pass out C-rations for these people to eat and water. Pass out these C-rations. I ate them for two years. We didn't have a problem. Hurricane-relief officials knew ahead of time they were going to have a storm.

Saving fuel

AFTER READING the article "Troopers take feet off the gas" I have two ideas. How about troopers driving the speed limit? Ninety percent of the patrol cars I see are driving 80-plus mph with no emergency lights on. For the Missouri Department of Transportation, how about fewer trucks at a project and don't leave them running all day.

Check it out

YOU OWE it to you yourself and your loved ones to check out jihadwatch.org. Our country and its people are worth fighting for. Civilization is worth saving.

Assistance needed

REGARDING THE comment that people along the coast should not receive government assistance: I live in southeastern Louisiana. My home was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. We had trees that toppled our home. We did not stay for the storm. We evacuated the day before. It is easy for people to say that we need no assistance, but until you experience the destruction and obstacles that come from a disaster like Katrina, you cannot be so free to pass along an ignorant opinion. There are those who are fraudulent in their claims, but I see the destruction. The majority of the families indeed need assistance.

Just a smoke screen

THE SOUTHEAST Missourian editorial endorsing U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton's plan for withdrawal from Iraq gives credence to the thesis that extreme conservative objections to Harriet Miers were really a smoke screen for right-wing opposition to our Iraqi policy.

Balky light

EVERY NIGHT I drive home from work around 11 o'clock, and every night I get stopped by the stoplight at Broadway and West End Boulevard. Not only do I stop, but I wait usually for at least five minutes for the light to decide that there really isn't anyone in the turn lane opposite from me. Please fix this light. It slows traffic down at all times of the day.

Focused on polls

IN ACCEPTING Harriet Miers' withdrawal, President Bush has, in one fell swoop, evolved from a man of principle straight to a pragmatic politician with his eyes eternally focused on the polls.

Ready for school

HOW FUNNY: "A preschool prepares children for kindergarten ... ." Remember when kindergarten's purpose was to prepare children for first grade -- and in just half a school day? Most of us back then entered first grade knowing our ABCs and how to behave in school.

Suffering from smoke

THE LAST three nights I've come home from work to the thick smell of burning leaves in my house thanks to my burn-happy neighbors. The following three mornings I've awakened with a burning throat and lungs that feel like they weigh a ton. Thanks, neighbors. The population density in Cape Girardeau and Jackson is too great for this unhealthy, inconsiderate practice to continue.

Bands quit too soon

THE SOUTHEAST Missouri State University Homecoming parade was disappointing for those of us at the end of the route. The only band that made it the entire route was the SEMO band. Every other band quit at Main Street and turned the other way. For those of us who had children in the parade expecting to meet us on Main, there was no option to move farther up the route. This was bad form. If you are in the parade, you should be in it all the way. The marching bands are the main reason I go. Luckily, the students from SEMO had plenty of smiles and spirit. The theme was fun. The floats were a trip down memory lane.

Venezuela propaganda

SCOTT MOYERS' article on gasoline prices refers to Venezuela as being under a dictator. How can you call Hugo Chavez a dictator when he has 70 percent popular support and was elected through a process more viable than ours? It's typical Missourian propaganda.

Education helps

GRADUATING FROM college does not guarantee higher wages, but it sure helps. There are also vocational-technical schools that offer training. Our government doesn't owe anyone a living. Make wise decisions about how many children you can afford. I personally resent my tax dollars going toward welfare families with several kids.