Speak Out 11/29/07

Partial agreement

I FIND myself in the strange position of being in at least partial agreement with Alan Journet on the ethanol white elephant. It's a waste of time and resources. And I agree that hybrids are a partial answer. However, I disagree on the nuclear issue. I believe we should be researching nuclear fusion. It's clean and unlimited. I also still believe, for the time being, we need to develop our own petroleum resources. Fuel is not the only benefit we get from petroleum. Many items we use daily, including components on those hybrid vehicles, are made from petroleum. As for CAFE, we must be careful we do not bankrupt our automakers in the process. Problems right now with hybrids are expense to replace the batteries, disposal of the old batteries (correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't they toxic?) and the upfront cost of the hybrid. I can't afford a new car at current prices, and I will not buy a used hybrid. How will I know the condition of the battery? If I buy used and the battery goes unexpectedly with no warranty to cover replacement, I'll have a 2,500-pound paperweight.

Another sales tax

HOLD ON to your hats. Here comes another sales tax regarding the sewer and water. How many more sales-tax increases is the city council going to throw at us? Cape Girardeau should be getting close to being one of the costliest places in the state to conduct business and live when it comes to real estate and sales taxes. But we have nothing to show for it such as attractive tourism or a nice resort lake.

Accurate picture

SAM BLACKWELL'S story on bipolar was excellent, I was like Belinda, and Blackwell captured a great picture of the illness. Thank you.

Social Darwinism

THANKS TO Gary Rust for calling attention to the 50th anniversary of the publication of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged." Though widely read, thank goodness our political system has not completely caved in to what amounts to Rand's social Darwinistic, dog-eat-dog suggested style of life. Otherwise, life would be nasty, brutish and, somewhat mercifully, short.

Mad grab for toys

WE MADE the mistake of going to a local toy store for the Black Friday sale. The people lurking in the parking lot waiting to rush the doors ahead of the line were losers even if they did grab the early-bird specials that some people had waited hours for. The main item had such limited quantities it was a joke, especially since one greedy man grabbed all eight of the items that were available and ran before anyone else had a chance. Opening the exit doors for the lurkers to sneak into was also rather thoughtless. We left without buying a thing after being shoved, pushed and run over. Tickets for limited items in the line would have been a nice solution.

Stem-cell research

FOCUS ON the Family founder James Dobson has said that the new study to create stem cells from adult cells "provides more evidence that there is no need to destroy human embryos in order to treat disease or otherwise benefit mankind. In fact, there are no clinical trials anywhere in the world where embryonic stem cells are being used in patients." It is time to repeal the Missouri constitutional amendment for embryonic stem-cell research.

Religious fanatics

I ALWAYS said that religious fanatics were the ones who wanted to put God back in public schools. Thus, I was surprised to see a Speak Out reference to religious fanatics as those who want to take God out of public schools. I guess I never thought the phrase "religious fanatics" characterized the likes of the ACLU.

That's our money

I CAN'T believe the way Cape Girardeau spends money. Now the city is applying for a grant to repair the Common Pleas Courthouse. They want to get the money from the government, and guess who's going to pay for that grant? It's our money that's going to pay for it. Why can't the city be happy with what it has? Good grief, Charlie Brown.

Downtown parking

THIS IS a word to our city fathers and all other interested parties: If you expect Main Street and Broadway to prosper, you will need to figure out a way to build parking lots or multistory garages. They will need to be put where dilapidated buildings are now. They could be private enterprise, locally owned or city-owned. Businesses should pay a fee to help pay for the parking garages. Businesses that are there now need to be sure their employees are not using valuable street parking.

Squelching cell phones

THE CARTOON on the Opinion page has been my dream since the cell phone became so popular for drivers of cars. I've wished I could invent a device to stop those calls. It makes me feel good that someone is thinking the same way. I hope it happens.

OSHA persecution

OSHA CONTINUES to persecute honest, hard-working business owners with heavy fines they cannot afford. This is not the 1920s. We don't have sweatshops anymore. OSHA has lost touch with reality. Missouri needs to tell the federal government we know what's best for our state.