Speak Out 12/16/05

Excellent service

I WANT to voice my deepest appreciation for the Jackson post office workers. The women who work the front desk are always pleasant, friendly and extremely knowledgeable of the options available for my packages. They redefine the definition of service and possess all the qualities that make life in Jackson better than any other town in Southeast Missouri.

Accurate labels

TO CALL Rush Limbaugh a right-wing propagandist is not necessarily inaccurate. Propaganda is not always false. It is one-sided. I prefer to deem Limbaugh a right-wing demagogue.

Let's pay fairly

SOCIAL SECURITY is held out of only the first $90,000 in a person's payroll. Might we need to ask some doctors, lawyers, politicians and professional athletes to ante up a bit more? I think it's time we started paying fairly across the board instead of playing inverted Robin Hood.

Teacher expectations

I THINK it is easy to forget that teachers are people too. We trust them with our most prized possessions, our children, but many teachers have children and families of their own. Why should we expect them to give up their time at home for family by staying hours after their contracted day to enhance our children's education. Teachers have a life outside of their career, and staying those extra hours would not be expected in any other profession. We should value teachers and the efforts they put into their jobs daily.

Hidden costs

IF YOU save $1 or $2 a month on a couple of prescriptions and another prescriptions costs $17 more than the pharmacy's cash price, how is that saving money with Cape Girardeau County's new prescription discount card? When you call to ask a county commissioner about this, he rudely hangs up the phone without any explanation. The commissioner did offer to call the pharmacy, but what could he do about this?

Paying less

THREE RIVERS Community College pays its part-time faculty members much less than Southeast Missouri State University pays. I have often heard community colleges boast about how they can deliver classes for less money. If you pay part-time faculty members about the same as someone working at McDonald's, then I guess you can. Of course, if the quality is not the same at both institutions, I wonder why?

Control the children

KID-FRIENDLY places? I enjoy the peace I now have since I can sit and have adult-only conversations with my children. I don't mind the sound of little ones who are enjoying themselves with cooing and baby talk in general. I do object to children being allowed to be disruptive. Unfortunately, it seems to be that every place you go there are parents who have no control and don't pay attention to their children. Congratulations to those businesses that have taken the initiative to make their environment better for both customers and themselves.