Speak Out 11/12/07

Controversy conflict?

To me, there seems to be a clear conflict of interest. Surely the city council member who said she bought her groceries from Christ Church of the Heartland recused herself from voting on the controversy.

Speed limit

I LOVE to drive the speed limit in Cape Girardeau. It's the law, and that's what you should do. It also frustrates all the speeders. You can see how angry they are when they pass back and forth through the lanes and you end up right next to them at the stop sign. Keep up the good work, law-abiding citizens of Cape Girardeau. Drive the speed limit.

Dangerous cycling

I'M CALLING about the bike rider who goes down Route W from Fruitland to Cape Girardeau every morning. He wears a helmet with a flashing red light on the back thinking this is sufficient for drivers going 50 mph to see him. For the past two days I've had to come to a complete stop because there was a car coming over a hill and this biker was not over far enough for me to get past him. I realize bike riders have the right to be on the road, but riding on Route W at this busy time is dangerous. I'm afraid some teenager like mine is not going to see this bike rider or know how to react.

Fair meeting

I WATCHED the city council meeting Nov. 5 and was proud of the way it was conducted. All citizens were given an opportunity to voice their opinions, and little animosity was shown. God bless Angel Food Ministries and all who are blessed by it. My grandfather always told me, "No one is promised tomorrow." And even with insurance and many assets, we are only one illness or accident away from needing help. Thank you, Mayor Knudtson and the city council, for a fair judgment.

Superhighway farce

IN REGARD to Clint Lacy's column about Rudy Giuliani and the NAFTA Superhighway: Lacy is grossly misinformed. Had he done the proper research he would have found that the NAFTA Superhighway is a farce. Not one single cent has been spent to build the highway, and the highway will never be built.

Oil pricing

THE BIGGEST reason fuel prices are what they are is simple. Since the 1970s, the U.S. population and fuel-usage rates per year have grown exponentially. What hasn't changed is the number of refineries in this country. Can you remember hearing of a new petroleum plant being built since that time? If our government would allow us to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off the coast of this country, OPEC would drop the price of oil in a heartbeat.

Change of heart?

I FIND it ironic that state Sen. Jason Crowell, who attempted to block state funding for the River Campus, is now on the board of the Missouri Arts Council Cultural Trust Fund. He says he has a soft spot for the arts, but I have never seen him attend even one local performance unless it was politically oriented.

Red-tape runaround

IF THREE Rivers Community College wants to come to Cape Girardeau, it can avoid all of the rigamarole of requesting official approval by locating its facility in a church on Bertling Street.

Loss of voting rights

AS A former full-time recreational vehicle traveler with a mailing address in Texas, I find it disturbing to discover that such retirees are being blocked from voting, which I always presumed was an American right. These full-timers are still citizens and still pay taxes of one sort or another. Taking away their voting rights is abhorrent.

Season of rudeness

THE HOLIDAYS are approaching, so that means instead of warmth and love we will see the worst aspects of people. I attend Southeast Missouri State University and work for a retailer. I can't tell you how many times people have been rude and inconsiderate toward me and my co-workers. A simple "thank you" or "excuse me" can go a long way. It seems many people have forgotten simple acts of kindness.

Where are the trains?

IT APPEARS that America has locked in its own gas problem. Seeing that every major European country has an effective high-speed train system, it makes me wonder -- with all of the intelligence in this great country of ours -- why we have not developed this highly rated means of transportation. The U.S. is definitely behind.

Gas mileage

REDUCING HIGHWAY speed limits would do little to reduce gasoline consumption for several reasons. Most vehicles get their best mileage at steady highway speeds rather than stop-and-go city driving. Most vehicles currently on the road were manufactured during the years of the 70-mph speed limit. That means they were engineered to get optimum performance and economy at those speeds. Driving slower can reduce economy. It would take a number of years to get enough newly re-engineered vehicles on the highway to make a difference. What we need is to exploit our own resources and stop buying the majority of our oil from other countries.

Still looking

WHEN WASHINGTON insiders and career politicians like Jo Ann Emerson and Kit Bond endorse Rudy Giuliani for president, it's time for me to look further down the Republican list. Mike Huckabee is looking good.

Fill it with shoes

SPECIAL THANKS to good Samaritan Kermit Meystedt of Genesis Transportation for donating a 53-foot trailer to be parked in front of St. Andrew Lutheran Church for Operation Christmas Child. Let's bring 6,800 shoeboxes to fill that trailer next week and help children around the world.

Anti-ethanol arguments

THE REASON many of us are opposed to the ethanol plant is that ethanol is not a viable option to solve our energy problems. It is inefficient, costing substantially more in resources to produce than gasoline from petroleum, and you get fewer miles per gallon. If we were to turn every acre of arable land in the United States to the production of grain for ethanol, we would not be able to produce enough ethanol to meet our needs for more than a few months. Taking the grains used for ethanol out of the food market will cause a rise in food cost. The federal government is throwing us a bone on this one. If ethanol were a viable option, capitalists would already be invested in the development of ethanol and the government would not have to hand billions of our tax dollars out to get someone to build the plants. I've visited cities with relatively new plants, and they stink.