Speak Out 11/6/05

Easy money

I'M HAVING a hard time understanding this conservative Christian Republican bit. I thought conservatives claimed to be for low taxes. They said the tax panel's goal was to simplify the tax return. But the repeal of deductions would cost the average taxpayer $1,278 a year more in taxes. That's raising taxes, if you ask me. President Bush asks for and gets from the Republicans billions of dollars to spend like they all are drunk. That's conservative? They throw money at everything like they can turn on a spigot and spray it out a fire hose. I don't get it.

Welfare support

NOT ALL people who are on welfare live in dirty conditions. I have encountered wealthy people who live worse than poor people. Our tax dollars are spent to help welfare families, but not all welfare families live in disgusting conditions. I am sick and tired of people complaining about supporting welfare families. I do not like it either, but some people on welfare really need it. Others do not. I am more upset at the people I know who lie to get welfare than the people who actually need it.

Lack of concern

IT AMAZES me how the Missouri Division of Family Services isn't cracking down on worthless parents. Five years ago, my husband and I tried to get our grandson out of horrible living conditions. He lived in roach- and drug-infested houses. We would pick him up on the weekends, and he would have on hours-old soiled diapers and wouldn't have had a bath since the last time we had him. He received a burn on his forearm from a curling iron his mother neglected to put up. We took care of him for a month while his mother was out of state. We took pictures and other evidence of child neglect to DFS, which did absolutely nothing. Where is he now? Still bouncing around from one rundown house to next with a constantly shaved head due to head lice -- and that could have been prevented if DFS had stepped in.

Turn them in

SOMEBODY KNOWS or has a good idea about who broke those headstones at Old Lorimier Cemetery. Whoever did this needs to be brought to justice. If they're children, they need to learn before they get much older the consequences of doing something like this. If you're a parent and suspect your children, talk to them and let the police know, because it's best for them and for you. We need to figure out who did this and why.

Needs correction

I READ about some of the hurricane victims who got checks from FEMA and bought $800 purses. That is about as bad as the 9-11 aftermath where the government scattered money all over the United States for dogs kennels and other businesses that had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks. I can't imagine anyone who is intelligent enough to be the elected representative of the people permitting things like this to happen without some correction.

Colorful leaves

FOR YEARS I have heard people talking about the beautiful leaves in New England states. You don't have to leave Cape Girardeau. If you take a drive through the streets of Cape Girardeau, there are so many beautiful colors mixed in with the whites and the greens. There's nothing that can compare to our trees here in Cape. Take a drive. There are so many different colors it's hard to believe.

Show some respect

I'M GETTING tired of trick-or-treaters who are way too old to be trick or treating. Come on, parents, quit letting your kids do this. And I'm getting tired of people coming to our neighborhood and dumping trash out of the cars. Come to our neighborhood and respect us or stay away.

Keeping count

I WAS a child during World War II, but I can remember the headlines. Newspapers printed the casualties of war every day along with invasions.