Speak Out 11/18/03

Unpatriotic attitude

I SAW in your paper that Jackson's veteran ceremony drew 400 people. But my child's class was not allowed to go to the assembly. I think that teacher should be reprimanded for her unpatriotic attitude towards Veterans Day.

Fights at school

I WOULD like to let you know what's going on at Central Junior High School this year with all the fights. My son comes home almost every couple of days talking about another fight at school. I think those things need to be reported and those should be in the police report. These are kids who should be turned over to juvenile authorities. I'm sure school officials are handing this in the way they feel is appropriate. But I think this is something that should be part of the public record so the public has an awareness of what's going on. Teachers aren't getting to teach because they're having to deal with discipline issues. Something needs to be done.

It's a bad idea

CLOSING FRANKLIN Elementary School is a bad idea. But if school board insists on doing so, I will in the future vote against any tax increase or bond issue that the school district proposes.

He paid his debt

THIS IS concerning the fugitives you had on the front page. I think when someone pays his dues to society, like my son who has ended up in a state mental hospital over this whole situation, he shouldn't have his picture on the front page. I am very disappointed in the paper.

No public confidence

SO THE Cape Girardeau School District superintendent decided to shut the media out of the deliberations for the district budget cuts. Later, the district will come back to the public and ask for a tax increase and want our support and confidence. I don't think so.

Too soon to return

I SEE that Rush Limbaugh is going back to radio work. I bet if anyone would check with doctors who are experts in this area, they would say that five weeks is not enough time for him to have broken this habit. I'm terribly disappointed. I just don't see that he needs to be going back to the radio yet. He should stand up and do what he said he was going to do, and give his rehabilitation his whole heart. What is his next step going to be? Is he continue with the treatment, or is he just going to go back to radio broadcasting?

Learning and growing

MORLEY SWINGLE is a good prosecuting attorney. Yes, he's fallible. Yes, he's human. But I believe he does a good job. I hope he's learning and growing as we all are in our jobs. There are times when there's a breakdown in the system, and that should be taken care of. But I'm glad that Swingle is our prosecuting attorney.

Give it a try

LET'S CALL a truce between teachers and parents. I say challenge parents to be teachers for a week.

Old airplane

HAVE ANY of you ever owned a 20-year-old car? After about 20 years, some things are just not as perfect on your car. Sometimes you have to get the brakes fixed or the radio doesn't work or maybe the gas gauge doesn't work. It was the same way with the Carnahan airplane. It was 20 years old, and the family had a tragic loss. But it's not the airplane's fault. A thunderstorm caused the wreck.

Hurtful gossip

I LIVE in Tennessee and have been visiting friends in Scott City. Speak Out is a good column. I have an opinion. Church people here need to look at their lives. Hurtful gossip cause one of my in-laws to give up. She's lived a life that most women never survive. I hope this young woman learns to not be a hypocrite.

Public needs information

IN REGARD to the recent comment about the community center proposal in Jackson, it all sounds good until you get to the where it says the study alone costs $24,000 plus expenses and the city and school district split the cost. The story says the document was distributed to officials but collected at the end of the day by the consultant who said the document was intended for those making the decisions and not the public. We're the ones paying for this study to be done. We should have access to this information.

Faculty choice

POOR MANAGEMENT causes budget deficits. Tenured faculty members at the university have a choice. Either accept the proposed retirement plan where their health premiums will be greatly increased and retire, or lose their jobs by being fired. Some choice.

No reporters

THE SUPERINTENDENT of the Cape Girardeau School District, Mark Bowles, is quite a dude. He's got a task force made up of 64 school district employees and 45 community members and himself. They're looking for ideas to cut $2.2 million from the district's $35 million budget. I don't blame him for not wanting reporters to come to the meeting. He's quite a guy.

Extra counseling

I DON'T know about other parents, but my kid doesn't need pregnancy counseling at school. Divorce is not an issue in our home. I send my child to school for an education. There are counselors who can deal with school problems.

Bring back paddles

THERE WOULDN'T be unruly students if teachers could bring back the paddles. It's ridiculous that teachers have to put up with problem students. If the paddlings came back, the kids would learn. Kids don't get whippings from parents like they used to when I was growing up. They know they can get away with anything. It's a shame. Either take the kids out of class, make their parents sit in the classroom with their children or paddle them.

Filibuster needs to stop

THAT BUNCH of liberal senators is holding hostage President Bush's judicial appointments. The Republicans should do no business that the Democrats propose until this filibustering is stopped. This action will result in a backlash in the 2004 election that will echo throughout the world. The U.S. Senate is no place for playing devious tricks on our country.

Change the rules

I'M SO proud of our senators, Kit Bond and Jim Talent. They're fighting for President Bush's judicial nominees. The Constitution implies that a majority -- that would be 51 senators -- can advise and consent to judicial nominees. But the Democrats are filibustering judicial nominees, and now you need 61 senators to approve a judicial nominee. I'm glad our Missouri senators are going to fight to change the rules.