Speak Out 12/13/04

Pet peeve

ONE OF my biggest complaints is about traffic. If you aren't passing anyone in the left lane, get in the right lane for slower traffic. I see this every day. And it is one of my biggest pet peeves.

Radio turn-on

I'D LIKE to thank radio station 103.7 Rage (run by the department of communications at Southeast Missouri State University) for making radio listening enjoyable. The station plays music the mainstream shies away from, music by artists who play music because they love to, not to get rich. Excellent job, students. Thanks for turning me on to the radio again. I just wish you had wider coverage.

Hands-on experience

WE WANT a superintendent with hands-on experience. We want someone who has been a classroom teacher, a building principal, someone who has dealt with discipline. The Cape Girardeau School District has left teachers out of the hiring process. Why?

Hard work in parks

THE PERSON who commented "The reality is that nobody deserves $15 an hour for mowing grass in the park" is clearly off base and has no idea what these men and women in the parks department really do. As the child of a parks employee, I know what my father and his fellow workers do for a living. They make sure your parks and city facilities stay beautiful and clean for you and your families to enjoy. Almost every employee has electrical, plumbing, horticultural, and architectural knowledge. These people are not just mowing the grass. They are providing our city with parks and facilities that we can be proud of. They deserve to be compensated for their hard work and long hours.

Thanks for little things

I WANT to thank the person who gave me the right of way. I want to thank the person who moved her cart and apologized for being in the way. I want to thank the person who smiled and was pleasant during the day. You never know what that other person has had to endure during the day.

Poor service

I'VE BEEN treated rudely at three or four places over the past month or so. I've reported the incidents to store managers in a few cases. Customer service is dying. We went into a store where there were three employees and one customer. Two of the employees were talking to each other and didn't acknowledge us. We a competitor and were treated nicely. That's just one example of the bad service I see.

Traffic photos

I THINK it is time for Cape Girardeau to look into placing cameras at all traffic-light intersections. Every day I count how many drivers ignore that the light is changing to red. Instead of slowing down, they speed up to run the light. I think cameras would bring in revenue by taking pictures of drivers ignoring the law and forcing them to pay fines. People who think it is an invasion of privacy probably have something to hide.