Speak Out 11/20/08

Thanks to officers

I'D LIKE to give personal recognition to Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. Jeff McCullough and trooper Grant Williams. They went above and beyond the call of duty. They were polite and nice. I was stuck on the side of the road, and they came along with their flashlights and were going to change the tire. I said, no, you would get all dirty. They looked so nice and handsome. I want to thank them, and I want to thank all officers of the law. Their jobs are so tremendously scary. I can't even imagine.

Chaffee FBLA

I JUST wanted to comment on the FBLA of Chaffee High School putting on the annual free Thanksgiving dinner for seniors. Those young people did one super, fantastic job. That was the best I've ever seen out of young people, and I think they need to be commended.

Park facilities

A WARNING for the people of Jackson: If you take your children to the beautiful Jackson City Park, be aware that when nature calls you should have your own porta-potty handy or take the children behind a tree. Or maybe we should line up at city hall where the powers that be have provided very well for their own needs.

Who's in charge?

I CAN'T believe that our Congress has put Chris Dodd and Barney Frank in charge of this mess we're in. They're the ones who created this mess with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They're the ones who forced people to make those loans. This is crazy. Our country's gone. It's gone.

Little to live on

TO THE person who said seniors shouldn't get tax breaks just because they're elderly: I live on Social Security. Medicare premiums are deducted from my check, and I pay for supplemental coverage, I have $700 to eat, dress, keep my house and other expenses. I'd like to see this person live on this amount.

Senior needs

SO PEOPLE think we seniors get enough breaks and have a lot of money. Many seniors still have to work to get by. They have paid taxes all these years and still pay them even though their children have been out of school 30 to 40 years. Yes, we get some breaks. Some people don't know what the older generation has to contend with.

School defense

PARENTS IN the Cape Girardeau School District need to take control. After reading Billy Bragg's comments in the paper, it made me feel ill. My son is a freshman. He has good grades and is not aggressive. He said, "What if you're backed into a corner? Where are you going to run? Teachers at Central High School need to be visible in the locker rooms and hallways. How sad when your child feels less important than an adult. If an adult defends himself or herself against an attacker, it is self-defense. I guarantee if it was the teacher, nothing would have been done.

Special arts efforts

I COULDN'T help notice that there was no mention of the fact that state Sen. Jason Crowell was also given a special award of recognition for the efforts that he has put forth to procure funds for the arts in Southeast Missouri and for education. The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri recognized him and thanked him. A lot of times the people in our legislature are criticized for not doing enough, but I think in this instance Crowell got well-deserved public recognition for what he's done to highlight the arts in Southeast Missouri.