Speak Out 12/12/11

Reading program

I agree with the caller concerned about the AR reading program in our schools. Love of reading is its own reward. Those slower readers are not going to love to read if they are punished by not meeting goals set by those using it to justify withholding class activities that have nothing to do with the AR program. Being left out of these activities, even though they have tried to meet their goals, is very disheartening. Have teachers become so calloused that they can't relate anymore?

Levee waste

THE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers got a kick out of blowing up a levee in Missouri for the stated reason of protecting Cairo, Ill. We all know the Missouri levee was four feet lower than the Cairo levee, so there was never a reason to blow it up. The water would have just gone over the top. Now the corps has spent $15 million rebuilding it back to about ground level, and they haven't done anything to increase protection. By the time this is all over, the U.S. government will have spent more than $100 million trying to fix something that they didn't need to blow up. They could have reinforced the river wall at Cairo for surely less than $1 million. This was just a big waste of money.

Postal center

THE greed of postal unions and the inefficiencies of a government-run agency have combined to create billions of dollars in annual losses for the postal services. I say shut down the Cape Girardeau processing center and let the unions and bureaucrats find out the realities of life that those of us in the private sector have to bear every day.

Iranian weapons

IT sickens me to hear that the Iranians have possession of one of our highly sophisticated stealth drones. I am wondering, though, if this was planned so that we might track it. You know, like weapons to the Mexican drug cartel.

Urban hunting

I am reading in the paper about the urban deer hunting committee. You know if this comes about that they allow hunting in the city limits, these deer that are more like pets than anything else will be slaughtered. I just wonder if there will be some kind of provision to protect the white deer, where the people that are given licenses to bow hunt in the city limits will not be able to harvest this deer since he is so special and is a tourist attraction for Cape Girardeau. My opinion on it: I think he needs to be protected.

Singing bell ringer

THE singing Salvation Army gentleman at the Cape Girardeau Walmart recently was sure sounding good and making lots of money, too.

Kardashian perfume

KIM Kardashian has unveiled another perfume. What's the name of it, "Something Smells Fishy?"

Stop light

JACKSON, you are putting up a stop light at Old Archer Road where it meets East Main Street? I have only seen one car there since it opened two, maybe three weeks ago. I hope they are going to be flashing yellow at East Main for a long time.

Deer committee

ENOUGH is enough. Another meeting on the deer population in Cape Girardeau. What a waste of time. Leave the deer alone, most folks love them. We have a lot more pressing problems in our city: the homeless, crime, children living in trash. We have some people too lazy to clean their own property. We have rats scampering out of carports packed with trash. We have no enforcement or laws to protect the neighbors of such filth. And the mayor and the city council are worried about a few deer. Wake up. Don't run for the city council for prestige or just to be noticed.

Special treatment

I'D like to tell the people that have been fooled by President Obama and certain members of Congress that if they believe what they say they believe about ObamaCare being so good, how come they haven't included themselves in this benefit instead of taking the cream of the crop coverage they have in Washington? They don't want ObamaCare because they love the special treatment they get.

Trump debate

GET this, Donald Trump is trying to interject himself in the presidential race, but he won't commit to running. Now he is going to host a debate. Why doesn't he just go back to his TV show?