Speak Out 12/1/06

Health-care issues

NOW THAT U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson has come out against the viciousness of the American drug companies, I think it's time we do something about drugs. We should require drug companies to have a worldwide price that is no more than 10 to 15 percent higher in the United States. This idea of U.S. drug consumers getting gouged for drugs and consumers in other countries buying them a lot cheaper is silliness. We need a Canadian system of health care where everybody's covered. You have Americans who have to go into bankruptcy when they're ill. In other countries, the government takes over, and you maintain your lifestyle. And to have automobile companies forced into bankruptcy because of health-care costs is silliness. The reason Toyota can produce cars a lot cheaper is they don't have to provide health care for retired employees. If we had a national health-care system, we would take care of that problem too.

Frightening schools

THE CONSEQUENCE of political correctness is that almost all our universities have been commandeered by leftist ideologues whose chief goal is to purge from the nation's memory the rich content of Christian civilization, to discredit our free-market property and to substitute a simplistic set of Marxist, feminist and homosexual platitudes that are more likely to promote political ignorance than an understanding of the world. The college teachers of English are no more interested in literature than a litter of house cats. They are obsessed with furthering the leftist agenda, attacking traditional sexual morality and prettifying communism than in teaching Christianity. The Modern Language Association, the professional organization of literary scholars, in 2005 included these topics: redeeming violence, Marxism now and what video games can teach us about literature. There was no mention of Wordsworth, Keats or Shakespeare. It is a frightening scenario that explains what is going on in our colleges and universities.

Unlawful sentencing

IT IS a violation of federal law for a judge to engage in sentencing practices that are unequal. Fines and sentences for similar crimes are supposed to be equally administered by our judicial officials. See U.S. Code Annotated, Title 42, section 1981. I hope this is helpful, and if a judge is concerned about unequal punishments, maybe his honor also will find these comments helpful and not offensive in any way.

Parking lesson

IT'S BEYOND all comprehension that, once you receive a parking ticket, you would park there again, let alone rack up over $2,000 worth of tickets. Didn't Shannon Baker learn anything from her experience? It's even sadder that this newspaper has to plaster it on the front page. You don't tell about all the other students who follow the rules. I never had problems parking when I went to Southeast Missouri State University. Sometimes you have to walk a little.

Comparing scores

MAP QUESTIONS allow for relative comparison between schools as to how students are succeeding in answering the questions correctly. There may be a lot of legitimate concerns about the MAP, but the fact that it is a snapshot of student school performance in one school as compared to another is indisputable.

Paying for school

I AM hearing more and more about how it's not fair that people don't get vouchers to enroll their children in private schools. In other words, people are upset that they don't have the money to send their kids to a private school where they would get ridiculed for not having money and would probably never be accepted. Private schools are not going to turn your children into something they're not. If you are that disenchanted with the public schools, do something to change them.

City discretion

CAPE GIRARDEAU has published an information bulletin regarding the revisions to the sign ordinance enacted in April. The ordinance requires a permit for any sign. However, the bulletin states, "Inspection Services has administratively exempted garage sale signs, real estate signs and special promotions and events signs from this requirement." Why would the city council enact ordinances and then allow some signs to be "administratively exempted"? What is the purpose of having a sign ordinance if city officials are allowed discretion to change the ordinance at will? The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a city council cannot place "unbridled discretion" in the hands of a government official. As a business owner, this violates my constitutional liberties to freedom of speech.