Speak Out 2/12/06

Please help

THE STUDENTS coming to Cape Girardeau for the student senate convention are some the best students from all across Missouri. Each school wants to send its best students who have time to get out of class. We really need people in the community to be hosts and help take care of these kids. We could also have parents from Notre Dame Regional High School or Jackson High School who are willing to help. Please help out.

Special recognition

THE SKYHAWK aircraft recently donated to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport is a wonderful addition. It's unfortunate that the news media failed to give recognition to Robinson Construction, which facilitated moving the aircraft from Perryville to Cape. It took five years to find someone willing to do this, and a local contractor stepped up to the plate. Frank Robinson and his construction company and all of the individuals who worked for Frank deserve this recognition.

He would be king

WHEN THIS country was started, many people wanted George Washington to become King George of the United States. He decided that was not what this country needed or deserved. So he turned things around. Now we've got a president who wants to be king.

Tobacco screening

THERE ARE some companies here in Cape Girardeau who do a tobacco screen on prospective employees, and if it comes back positive you will not be hired.

Musical diversity

IN REGARD to the City of Roses music event: I can assure you that changing the name can have no effect on attendance. That can only be achieved by a change of format. If the music festival were to incorporate two or three Christian rock bands, it would draw more people than all of the other bands together. Most of the people interested in Christian rock bands would also enjoy hearing other bands as well. Few people listen exclusively to Christian music. How about a jazz group, a popular ethnic group, a fusion group, a classical group? I'm not interested in hearing 20-plus hard-rock and rock bands. Diversity is the answer. There is more to life than the hard-rock and funk groups.

Carts block parking

THIS IS for all the inconsiderate shoppers who insist on pushing there empty carts into the handicap parking spots. Where are the handicapped shoppers supposed to park? How lazy has everyone gotten?

Finding beds

THE CENTRAL High School student senate advisers have done an amazing job organizing and dealing with the stresses of the state student council convention to be held March 9 to 11 at Central. Last year all the student senate members agreed to do whatever it takes to make this convention to happen. The first step is finding accommodations for all 1,000 students coming here. There is a packet available with a list of phone numbers to call for people who agreed to house students if we were desperate. If we hadn't been able to find all necessary housing, which we did, who better to go to than the people who agreed to do whatever it takes? Students were not required to take on more kids. They were only required to find beds. If someone thinks this was handled poorly, I'd like to see him or her take on this responsibility.

It's up to students

I AM tired of people blaming the president for the lack of student achievement. The falling of students' performance is the result of apathy within the students. Many may argue that schools are underfunded, but that is simply not the case around here. Our local schools have enough money to adequately teach students. As the recent charts published in the paper have shown, students are not performing nearly well enough on standardized tests. This is nobody's fault except the student. If they don't want to learn nobody can force them to except knowledge.

Shady dealings

EVERYONE WHO said that the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus would be funded on the backs of students, faculty and staff has turned out to be right. President Ken Dobbins and the regents have engaged in the kind of shady financial dealings we have come to associate with Enron and Worldcom. It's time to clean house at Southeast.

SEMO deserves funds

EVEN IF the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents acted improperly three years ago, House Speaker Rod Jetton should not hold Southeast students, many of whom are from his district, accountable. If Jetton wants to see real wasteful spending, he should drive 30 miles north of his capitol office and look at the University of Missouri-Columbia campus. Southeast deserves more of the MOHELA money because Southeast students have loans through MOHELA, unlike Mizzou students. Under the speaker's current plan, millions of dollars of revenue from the sale of student loans from campuses like SEMO will be going to fund projects on the MU campus. That should be kept in mind. Jetton represents the people of Southeast Missouri, and he shouldn't forget it just because he is upset with three people.

Egos come first

IT IS as simple as this: If Southeast Missouri State University does not get its fair share of the MOHELA money from the state, the blame will fall squarely on the shoulders of state Sen. Jason Crowell and House Speaker Rod Jetton. They have put their egos ahead of what is good for Southeast and our community.

Political extortion

I AM outraged at the actions of House Speaker Rod Jetton to extort the resignations of three Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents members by threatening to withhold money from our university. I hope these honorable regents refuse to cave in. Ultimately this extortion will be paid for by students and their families due to increases in tuition to cover the missing allocations. Jetton's actions are those of an arrogant, power-addicted bully. The question for me is whether our elected local representatives and state office holders will be meek silent partners in this public extortion or show some backbone and represent our regional interests by standing up to this abuse of power. I will be watching this closely, because I hope I was voting for representatives of our local interests.

Resignations all around

BEFORE flack over the River Campus gets out of control, I would like to suggest a compromise solution that would defuse the situation. The Southeast Missouri State University regents who voted to sell bonds to pay for the River Campus should resign. In return, resignations from the Missouri General Assembly should be forthcoming from House Speaker Rod Jetton and state Sen. Jason Crowell.

New president

IF THE president of Southeast Missouri State University does not have the support of his local political officials to secure state funding for the university, maybe Southeast needs a new president. The public can vote the politicians out of office but not the president.