OpinionDecember 19, 2004
Speak Out 12/19/04
Praise for downtown; Messy and noisy; Good qualifications; Armor in Iraq; School scheduling; Wonderful concert; The Nixon formula; Elitist attitudes; Deep insecurity; Accomplishments; A place for teens; McCain a liberal?; Majority rules; Serving a need
Praise for downtown
THERE ARE a ton of things downtown. There are more than antique stores and sports bars. What about visiting the wonderful murals and maybe taking a few moments and contemplate the majestic beauty of the river and our fantastic new bridge? There are several nice restaurants and stores that carry one-of-a-kind gifts. Granted, the hours are limited. But these are small downtown stores. I enjoy going downtown every chance I get.
Messy and noisy
THIRTY-FIVE years ago when I moved to Cape Girardeau, it was clean and quiet. Today, if you get off I-55 at exit 99 or 98, you see nothing but trash. Who's job is it to make Cape have at least a clean entrance to town? As long as the police, prosecuting attorney and city council refuse to prosecute noise violations, it will stay noisy.
Good qualifications
SOMEONE WITH an MBA should not be Cape Girardeau school superintendent. A school system is not a business. It's far more complicated. In addition, no degree guarantees success. What is needed is a good politician-like person who has excellent public-relations skills.
Armor in Iraq
REGARDING ARMOR for vehicles in Iraq: Calm down. It's there. Most of the vehicles in country have been up-armored. Some cannot be armored -- helicopters, for example. The extra weight would make them unable to adequately perform their missions and more unsafe for the crews. The rest are scheduled to be armored. Armor continues to be shipped in. Most of the humvees have armor. Here's what you have to consider: This appears to be nothing but another media issue to try to make the administration look incompetent. Look at the soldiers wounded, and you will see most of them were not in vehicles. Most are alive because they had body armor. We should all be concerned for our military personnel in the war zones. But there are going to be casualties, and all the armor in the world will not prevent it.
School scheduling
I CAN'T believe my children have to go to school for two and a half days next week. Why didn't they get out Dec. 17 like other area schools? Now our Christmas plans are cut short. I would pull my kids from school for those days, but they really care about having perfect attendance. Why even have the half day? Bah-humbug, Cape Girardeau School Board. Please don't be a Scrooge next year.
Wonderful concert
I WANT to commend Central Junior High School for its concert, "The Messiah." Everyone did a fantastic job. All the little singers did a great job -- the solos and everything. Only Mike Dumey could pull off having the Hallelujah Chorus be performed by this age children and be able to have it at such high quality. It was delightful, and we hope they do it again sometime. He is the best. Thank you, Mike.
The Nixon formula
PETER KINDER and a state senator claimed the Civil War is finally over in Missouri. Though largely self-serving, the piece was interesting reading. Frankly, Republican control of the Missouri statehouse and executive mansion has more to do with the brilliant Nixon strategy formulated decades ago and its subtle appeal to usually latent racism.
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Elitist attitudes
I BELIEVE the problem many equally educated people have with some college professors is their elitist and pompous attitudes along with their lack of common sense.
Deep insecurity
UNIVERSITY PROFS are in large part grinds. Their intellectual capacity is neither higher nor lower than the general population. It requires a minimum IQ of 160 to be in Mensa. The jobs members hold run the gamut from white to blue collar with a number of homeless. Their political vary widely. For profs to postulate that they're of superior intellect is silly and illustrative of a deep insecurity.
Accomplishments
I HOPE that liberal professor did not break his arm patting himself on the back. What monumental arrogance. Liberals had control of the Senate for almost 50 years. Let's list their accomplishments: public education ruined, Social Security money stolen to pay for pork-barrel projects, a whole generation totally dependent on welfare and intelligence funding gutted creating the very world problems they are attacking conservatives for trying to solve. Education does not equal intelligence, some of the stupidest people I have ever known were college graduates. Sayings become cliches because they are true, so let me close with one of my favorites. "Those who can, do. Those who cannot, teach."
A place for teens
I THINK Cape Girardeau should make more hang out places for teens ages 13 to 17. It would keep them out of trouble and make this town more interesting. Cape Girardeau is dead and boring and a place for college students and adults to be. Every time this town does get a place for my daughter and her friends to hang out, it always winds up shutting down. Let's think about making a cool, safe place for our kids to have fun.
McCain a liberal?
QUICK QUESTION for David Limbaugh: If those whom you call liberals have no faith in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, then how do you explain Republican Sen. John McCain's publicly expressed lack of confidence in Rumsfeld? Do you deem McCain a liberal?
Majority rules
THIS IS in response to the person who claims conservatives are lazy, ignorant oafs and that liberals are educated, intelligent members of society. On what statistics do you base your opinion? Who is grasping at ways to deny reality? It appears we lazy, ignorant Republicans are in majority, judging by our last election.
Serving a need
JUST BECAUSE a person teaches does not mean he or she is smarter or better than any other person. Teachers deserve respect for what they do. But it is a job just like any other job. All of those people doing other jobs deserve respect as well. People choose their political affiliations generally based on which will best serve their future welfare and survival in this country. If these teachers moved to a different job, their affiliation could change. It's not the brain-power that makes the difference. It is which party serves their perceived needs better.
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