Speak Out 12/16/06

For or against?

I NOTICED in the paper where Bill Clinton was mentioned as one of the most influential people in the United States. The story didn't say whether he influenced someone for or against something. As far as I'm concerned, what he's for most times I would be against.

Beautiful lights

THIS IS to the family that has the farm for sale on Greensferry Road. Your Christmas lights are beautiful, and I especially love the star on the old barn. Merry Christmas.

Great event

I WANT to congratulate the Scott City School District for having Doughnuts for Dads. It was a great thing and great for the children. Thanks a lot.

School decision

WHEN OUR children got to middle school in Cape Girardeau, we considered putting them in private school but decided to wait. Now that the junior high school will have fewer math classes, we may have to rethink that and put them in private school after all.

Helping the homeless

SHAME ON Jackson for suing the Revival Center, a homeless shelter. I know a fellow who was helped there when he had no other place to go. Joyce Hungate is a wonderful woman who has undertaken this job of helping others when nobody else will, not even their own families.

Standing at concert

I WANT to know why security at the Show Me Center cannot control the people when there is a concert. We paid $50 for a seat and had to stand the whole time to see. A lot of people don't come to the Show Me Center for concerts because they do not want to stand up.

Many blessings

I WAS reading an article, "Being hungry is a way of life." A subhead to the article was "Malnutrition often overlooked as killer because diseases prey on underfed children." Americans have no idea how fortunate we really are. We should give thanks for the many blessings we have. For the most of us who complain about what we don't have, we should remember that some don't even have the bare necessities such as food. What can we do to help those in need?

Smoking illness

I DO not understand people who go to the doctor, sign in and then go out and smoke. People can't be hurting too bad if they've got to smoke every five minutes. Why do they even come to the doctor?

National attention

JACKSON IS trying to close the Revival Center. I would suggest the city take note of what happened to the Jackson School District a year ago when it tried to violate an individual's constitutional rights. Now Jackson is trying to violate the constitutional rights of a religious organization. It might take national attention to put them in their place, but if that is necessary, that will be the next step.

Purposely not clear

DID YOU really expect the legislators who wrote the bill on legislative salaries and wrote the ballot wording to make clear what they were up to? Of course not.

Need more employees

REGARDING GOV. Matt Blunt's desire to keep the number of state employees under 60,000: He is asking workers to do more with less. As an employee with the Missouri Department of Corrections, I would like to inform folks that this jeopardizes public safety. Fewer probation and parole officers are asked to supervise a larger number of offenders. The prisons are mandated for zero population growth, meaning more criminals in the community. It is time to have more employees to deal with them, not less.

Inconvenient parking

SEMO HAS a parking issue. There is plenty of parking. That doesn't mean there is adequate parking. It's quite a distance from most classes. I worked 40 to 60 hours a week during college and attended class on my lunch hour. It was tough making it to class on time.

Deserves a medal

MIKE KASTEN deserves some kind of medal of courage for suggesting that it might be a good idea to eliminate ethanol subsidies altogether. I only hope that if he is awarded one it is not awarded posthumously.

Not just the wealthy

ON THE subject of school vouchers: I'll bet some of those hard-working folks who will lose their jobs when Dana Corp. closes struggle to send their kids to private schools. If those parents do not find jobs that allow them to continue to educate their children in the schools of their choice, they will be unable to do so. Vouchers would help them. The prevalent theory that only the wealthy send their children to private schools is silly. People from all walks of life and all income brackets send their children to private schools. Vouchers would make many of their lives easier. Why is this wrong?

Spanking works

I WAS brought up to respect my parents. If I did something wrong, I was spanked, I got over it. My children were also spanked for disobeying. They are better adults today. I think we should go back to those days. A spanking and a beating are two different things.