Speak Out 12/28/09

Health deals

IN the Senate health care bill, some states are singled out for special deals. There is an arrangement that Nebraska perpetually does not have to pay for increased Medicare spending, and in Florida the per-person spending on Medicare will not decrease like it will in all other states. Is it constitutional to give individual states a better deal in national legislation and expect all of the other states to pay the difference?

Bloomfield artery

BLOOMFIELD Road is a major thoroughfare for the folks driving into Cape Girardeau from Highway 74. The road should be widened and straightened, and the speed limit should be increased to be conducive to motorists getting to jobs and appointments. Many people use that road daily to get to work, shopping and medical facilities and spend thousand of dollars in Cape Girardeau that go toward city taxes. Those tax dollars should, in part, allow the people spending their money in Cape Girardeau a safe, modern road to drive there on. In fact, Cape Girardeau's officials should realize that with the expansion the city has made westward that there is a great need for routes into town other than Interstate 55. I'm sorry to say that the people who live along that road need to realize that it is much more important than a historical spot or a residential street.

Call it what it is

IF average citizens offered money and other tantalizing opportunities to secure a congressman's vote, it would be called bribery and would be a federal offense. But the House and Senate leadership can do it, and then brag about it as compromise and breakthrough negotiations.

School mistakes

WHY do public school officials put the blame on previous officials for lapses in the school system today? Don't they understand that this undercuts their own credibility? If the voters of Cape Girardeau were sold a pig in a poke in the previous bond issue, then how can we be sure we're not being sold another pig in a poke? Or are today's administrators that much smarter that the same mistakes won't be made?

School savings

I want to congratulate the previous school administrators for their foresight in building Central High School the size they did. This saved the district considerable money. I don't see the harm in teachers carting supplies around from classroom to classroom. Many university classrooms work this way. It's a better use of resources. These teachers should be commended for their dedication rather than pitied or shamed. School enrollment goes up and down. If you built classrooms for every teacher, it would be a huge waste of money.

Thanks for display

TO the family in Kelso: How do we say thank you for the wonderful display you put together? I sat there Sunday night with tears in my eyes thanking God for people like you. You have shown the true meaning of Christmas with your display and by sharing it with others. And a big thank you to all your neighbors for handling all the traffic. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Tax breaks

I hear that the Cape Girardeau County budget is significantly negative. This comes as the county commission is granting tax breaks to another company. The commissioners would say this will generate jobs in the county. It probably will, but it will also make more profit for the company's owners. It seems to me this is another good deal for wealthy people but not for county taxpayers. The commission should be ashamed.

Doing something

LT. Gov. Peter Kinder's letter to U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill criticizing her vote for health care reform was interesting. The proposed bill isn't perfect, but it's much better than what Kinder and his Republican cohorts have proposed, which is nothing. While Kinder chided McCaskill for doing something, Kinder watched as then-governor Matt Blunt slashed Medicaid for our most vulnerable and didn't provide any new health coverage. In the several years that Republicans have controlled both Missouri houses, all they have done regarding health care is kill a bill that would have insured tens of thousands more.

Great speech

PRESIDENT Obama's humble and poignant Nobel Prize Prize speech was one of many eloquent and great speeches he has given and one that will be remembered in history along side of the best given by Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and others.

Worst bill

WHAT is the most fiscally irresponsible bill ever passed and signed into law? The upcoming health reform bill? Far from it. In fact, it will actually reduce the debt and deficit. The irresponsible bill was the unpaid-for Medicare Part D prescription drug bill for seniors, shoved through Congress by Republicans and signed by President George W. Bush.

Band instruments

THERE is a simple reason why bands don't take the field in rainy weather. Their instruments are worth hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, and rain would ruin them. The band is not just there to entertain the crowd at halftime. The band program continues long after football season is over.

Caring for puppies

THIS is for all who give a puppy for Christmas. These are one of God's gifts for us to love and take care of for many years. But for some, after the new wears off, the puppies are put outside in a pen never to be played with again. An animal is a longtime commitment. Please do the right thing. Give the puppy to someone who will take care of it. Remember, God is not the only one who is watching.

School space

I see where school officials are talking about expanding Clippard Elementary School. Where in the world is the so-called management of our educational system? The high school was built too small. Now Clippard is overcrowded. Why? Because the district has been closing schools. Some schools may be a little old, but they can be fixed up.

Debt and spending

I know everybody's busy this time of year, but David Broder's column in Monday's paper should be read by everybody. People are concerned about the national debt and the spending that is taking place. We've got to stop earmarks and grants. We're ruining the country for our children and grandchildren.

Making the deal

THERE are several constitutional lawyers in town. Please tell us is it constitutional for one state to get a better deal from the federal government than all of the other states. Is it constitutional for Nebraska to not pay for Medicare while the other 49 states pay? Is it constitutional to write a law for perpetuity that cannot be changed by the next Congress and president? This certainly is not moral.

How they voted

THANK you for publishing the congressional votes. I think that will help me be a better-informed citizen when I go to the polls. I like to know how my legislators have voted on issues. I hope this will be a regular feature in the paper.

School spending

THE propaganda campaign for getting taxpayers to spend more money on public schools has begun. All the articles have been about how overcrowded the public schools are. Taxpayers are getting tired of funding the public schools for their inadequacies. I think public schools need to learn to cut back just like everybody else. Improve the quality of education instead of improving the quantity of the budgets.

Wonderful bells

WE went to a handbell concert at Grace United Methodist Church. We're members of St. Vincent's Catholic Church. We had never heard a handbell choir before. Boy, were we in for a treat. Those people really were amazing with their handbells. It was wonderful Christmas music and made the holidays far more pleasant for us. I think they need to be congratulated.

Big choice

JESUS had no servants, yet they called him Master. Jesus had no diploma or degree, yet they called him Teacher. Jesus had no medicines or health clinic, yet they called him Healer. Jesus had no army, yet kings feared him. Jesus won no military battles, yet he conquered the world. Jesus committed no crimes, yet they crucified him as a criminal. Jesus was buried in a tomb, yet he arose and still lives today. Jesus lifted not one finger in self-defense, yet we call him Savior. Each one must choose whom to trust, whom to believe, whom to serve: God or man. Only Jesus has the keys to eternal life. Choose wisely. Choose life.

School space

I have been reading with interest the articles in the paper about overcrowding at Central High School. I know this to be true. I have two children enrolled there. That is why I have serious concerns about the community college being formed by Three Rivers Community College and Southeast Missouri State University at the Career and Technology Center. It is reported that 400 or 500 students could enroll in these classes. Traffic is already a big problem at the high school. What will happen to our high school when this opens? Where will all the additional college students park? Where will they eat? Do we really want college students commingling with high school students? Has our school board approved this when it is asking the public for additions to be made at the high school? If there are available classrooms at the Career and Technology Center, why aren't they being used to alleviate the overcrowding conditions? It looks like we are creating more problems, not solving problems at our high school.

Texting logic

I use common sense while driving. I only text when I notice all other drivers around me are texting and logically if fatalistically conclude that since I have no way of knowing where they're going I might as well text.