OpinionFebruary 12, 2007
Speak Out 2/12/07
Give her a chance; Smear authority; Progressive support; Making choices; Cheap tactic; Time for inclusion; Rat in the House; Dangerous game; Man of integrity; Raising children; Transit changes; Election timing; More accountability; Hard to understand; Political possibility; Unenforceable law; Enforce the laws; Waste of money; Represent the students; Making ethanol; Term limits work; Represent the people; Did right thing; Acting immaturely; Crude dudes; Great job; It's our choice; Playing politics; Reaching students; Gay agenda; Library restrictions; Frivolous spending; Shameful article; Vote on preschool; Vaccine battle; He has my vote; Expensive coffee; Removing a leader; High pay, low results; Custody complaints; Time to resign; Barricade boat ramp
Give her a chance
I'LL TAKE credit for voting for President Bush. I'm not ashamed that I voted for the better choice we were given. I'm sorry that Sen. Jim Talent lost his race and that we now have someone in there I don't trust. I guess we'll both have to wait to see the end results. I'm willing to give Sen. Claire McCaskill an opportunity to prove or disprove she's worthy of re-election.
Smear authority
IT SOUNDS to me like House Speaker Rod Jetton is gearing up to run for an office that he is afraid state Rep. Scott Lipke might want and could win. If you use your authority to smear the other guy, then you are a snake in my book. Lipke has my vote.
Progressive support
SOME UNFAIRLY characterize Cape Girardeau as an ultra-conservative, even reactionary, community. Although politically and fiscally prudent, Cape citizens realize the value of taxpayer support for progressive measures that will benefit all. Thus, the passage of the library expansion tax proposal. Thank you, voters.
Making choices
SAYING THE HPV vaccine promotes children to have sex is like saying that McDonald's promotes weight loss. Even a 13-year-old is smart enough to know it doesn't protect against other STDs and pregnancy. If teens are going to make bad choices, they are not going to base them on whether they are protected from HPV or not.
Cheap tactic
I'M CONFUSED. Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked a debate on the troop escalation in Iraq. If our elected senators can't debate on the Senate floor about the No. 1 issue that is affecting our country, what can they debate? Another cheap Republican tactic? I think so.
Time for inclusion
NUMEROUS STUDIES have shown that children with disabilities need to be surrounded by their non-disabled peers. These peers act as models and help the staff to keep expectations high for all children. This inclusion has been federally mandated for years. The fact that Cape Girardeau is only now implementing this is a little scary.
Rat in the House
LET ME get this straight. A legislator does his job, upholds the Constitution and is instrumental in passing some of the most important crime legislation in recent history. And then he is ripped apart by one of his own? Sounds like there is a rat in the House to me.
Dangerous game
THIS IS in regard to the Green Bear program. Let me remind you about one of the oldest games around: politics. The recent decision to stop funding the Green Bear program at the Network Against Sexual Violence is a prime example of playing politics. In this case, crimes against children win and the children lose. Can we tolerate this? Please call or write our state leaders and do something to stop this dangerous game.
Man of integrity
SCOTT LIPKE for governor. He's a man of integrity and honor.
Raising children
SO ROD Jetton is a bigot. I don't think our biggest problem in Missouri would be gays adopting children. From what I've observed, they seem to be pretty good at it. Even though I don't like her, Rosie O'Donnell seems to be doing an OK job with it. It can be heterosexuals who seem to be having problems raising children. Thank goodness for preschool.
Transit changes
REGARDING THE Cape County Transit Authority: Nothing's been the same since it moved from Jackson. Prices have gone up. We can't afford it, The dispatcher is rude. Everything has changed.
Election timing
I THINK it's a shame that the Cape Girardeau Library District held an election with only one issue to assure a poor turnout. Now we all have to pay for this greedy proposal.
More accountability
REGARDING THE article House Speaker Rod Jetton wrote in the paper: It makes me sick to think that we are paying our representatives and senators to run our state who don't read what they're voting on so anything can go through. They need to be more accountable to the people for what they are doing. I wish we could get rid of the whole bunch and start over.
Hard to understand
PLEASE HELP me understand this. State Rep. Scott Lipke removed 14 words from Missouri law that were unenforceable and not legal. He was punished for this by House Speaker Rod Jetton, who feels that the unenforceable words should part of the law. Why? Why not try to keep the law legal and enforceable?
Political possibility
THE PEOPLE of Southeast Missouri should ask themselves why House Speaker Rod Jetton is so interested in discrediting state Rep. Scott Lipke. Perhaps it's because Jetton's best friend, state Sen. Jason Crowell, is up for re-election next year. Everyone knows that Crowell will be vulnerable in the Republican primary because of the River Campus fiasco. Perhaps Jetton and Crowell are worried that Lipke will be a formidable challenger. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what is going on here.
Unenforceable law
WHY DOES having an unenforceable law on record make any sense? House Speaker Rod Jetton argues the U.S. Supreme Court may change its position. So his point is to keep an unenforceable law on the books in case it does. Jetton made too many excuses in his letter. State Rep. Scott Lipke was legislatively and legally right.
Enforce the laws
THE CHAFFEE Police Department is setting a bad example for our children. I was hoping one day we could get a police enforcement that cold enforce the laws instead.
Waste of money
I READ where the Cape Girardeau County Commission wants to hire a part-time staff assistant. These are all things that we elected these officials to do themselves. They make a big enough salary. Taxpayers, watch out for this waste of your money.
Represent the students
IT MAKES me sad that the school board, except for two members, does not care about who it is representing. I thought it was the students. The dropout rate is ridiculous. Good students are afraid of the resource officer. Your child gets bullied, and no one does anything. Some of the teachers miss almost 20 days per school year. They should be in the classroom.
Making ethanol
THERE ARE literally dozens of processes that are being worked on to make ethanol. The national lab in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is making ethanol out of garbage. Making ethanol from corn is a short-term deal. Within the next five or six years, ethanol will be made competitively from a whole series of bio-mass ingredients.
Term limits work
I HAVE been following House Speaker Rod Jetton's futile attempts to smear state Rep. Scott Lipke and want to thank the Missourian for its opinion. Thanks also for term limits for legislators. I will be happy when term limits end Jetton's reign.
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Represent the people
EVEN THOUGH our courts are accepting of homosexual behavior, I believe it is the responsibility of our state legislators to represent the general public's view that such behavior is unacceptable. Courts can make any activity legal. That does not mean we have to endorse and support their decisions. Many of us stand with House Speaker Rod Jetton's position that state Rep. Scott Lipke was wrong to remove the people's point of view on homosexuality.
Did right thing
IT LOOKS like state Rep. Scott Lipke did the right thing. If a law is flawed and unenforceable, it should not be on the books. The Parsons-Jones letter on Feb. 5 smells of political rhetoric without the details as to the real reasons for House Speaker Rod Jetton's dictatorial attitude toward Lipke.
Acting immaturely
I CANNOT get over how immature House Speaker Rod Jetton is. He's acting like a kid who's been bested on the soccer field and he's going to pout and have his way by letting state Rep. Scott Lipke fall to the sidelines. Lipke is one of the best representatives we have ever had in this area.
Crude dudes
UNDER NO circumstances could you get me to vote for Jason Crowell and Rod Jetton. They are two of the worst politicians I have ever seen. To have the audacity to stand up when the governor is making a State of the State speech and yell at him is about as asinine as they come. They're nothing but a pair of crude, rude dudes.
Great job
I WOULD like to say "Great job" to the Scott City Show Stoppers for their work with the future Show Stoppers. The performance was good, and the girls looked like they were all having a great time. I would also like to thank Libby for all of her efforts. She did a great job of leading the practice and the performance. My daughter was really nervous, but Libby gave her the confidence she needed to go out and perform in front of a large audience. Thank you.
It's our choice
IF SOMEONE chooses not to wear a seat belt and is injured or dies, that was their choice. Men established government to defend us against our enemies and build an infrastructure that will allow our pursuit of happiness. Government wasn't established to keep us under constant control so that we live a long risk-free life and die of old age after years of service to the state.
Playing politics
HOUSE SPEAKER Rod Jetton has become an embarrassment to Republicans. His latest attack on state Rep. Scott Lipke is exactly like his attack on Southeast Missouri State University and the River Campus. It's a power play. He doesn't care about what is good for Southeast Missouri or the Republican Party. He wants to play politics.
Reaching students
I THINK the problem with high school children is that they don't receive enough attention when they're in high school. Every two years, the fire department should talk to students about such things as candle fires. It's not unusual to hear about some college kid getting killed by a burning candle. One wonders about the hazard of putting a computer on a bed all day. Is there a fire risk there? Soon these students will be having families of their own. They need to be reminded to check their smoke alarms.
Gay agenda
WHETHER STATE Rep. Scott Lipke's advancement of the gay agenda was intentional or not, his rewording of Missouri's Jessica's Law has done just that. I thought I was voting for a conservative when I voted for Lipke. I hope area Republican leaders are looking for a more suitable candidate for the next election.
Library restrictions
WONDERFUL WRITER TJ Greaney was too tolerant of those who didn't vote or voted "No" on the proposed expansion of the Cape Girardeau Public Library. In my opinion, both those who did not vote along with those who voted "No" should be prohibited from using the new facility.
Frivolous spending
THIS CITY has got to be the most wasteful city I have ever lived in. Every time I turn around my taxes are being raised. Then the city spends it on something frivolous and complains about being broke.
Shameful article
THE WALL Street Journal article about teacher pay was beyond misleading. Calculate $34.06 an hour into a yearly salary. It comes to roughly $71,000. Find me a school district paying teachers $71,000 a year and I will change professions. Why the Missourian loves to denigrate teachers and its own home district I don't know, but this article is shameful.
Vote on preschool
THERE IS only one way to find out if a majority of voters in the school district will be willing to pay for preschool for families in the district. Put it to a vote.
Vaccine battle
WOULD THERE be this big battle over the HPV vaccine if it were the AIDS vaccine?
He has my vote
I HAVE known state Rep. Scott Lipke for years, I know Ashley and the boys. I go to church with them. I helped him on his election. He helped me as a prosecuting attorney. He is a good man. He would never deceive the people he works so hard for. I trust him to do what is best for all of us. I am a Democrat, and I will always Vote for Lipke.
Expensive coffee
IN THE past, Cape Girardeau was known as the City of Roses. Cape should now be known as the City of Fools. Cape voters continue to vote in favor of almost every tax increase they are presented with. Does Cape really need a $9 million dollar coffee shop?
Removing a leader
IGNORANCE OF the law is no defense for House Speaker Rod Jetton to remove such a talented legislative leader from his post.
High pay, low results
I ENJOYED the article by Jay P. Greene and Marcus A. Winters From The Wall Street Journal explaining that teachers are paid much better than they would like us to believe. Teachers are paid above-average wages, but they still want more. In Cape Girardeau, the job they do based on results is below average.
Custody complaints
EVERY WEDNESDAY and every other Friday, my husband and I go to the Cape Girardeau Police Department and file a report for custody violation because his ex-wife refuses to bring their son for his court-ordered visitation. Why? Because she knows that no one is going to make her. The court order has been in effect for over two years, and we have filed more reports than I could begin to count. How many of them have been acted on by the police or the prosecuting attorney? Zero. Finally I got to the point where I just bluntly asked the police officers what was being done with all these custody violation reports. They said, "Probably nothing". Why? In their words, the prosecuting attorney gets at least 50 of these reports a week and "uses them to clean the dust off his desk for all I know" -- their words, not mine. Has it ever occurred to them that perhaps the reason they get so many of these reports is because everyone knows nothing will be done? The authorities are not protecting these kids who are being tossed in the middle. Why?
Time to resign
HOUSE SPEAKER Rod Jetton's explanation as to why he demoted state Rep. Scott Lipke was so wretched he should resign.
Barricade boat ramp
THE MISSOURI Department of Conservation could protect drivers by barricading the Red Star boat ramp. In the recent accident, three Southeast Missouri State University students were lucky. A previous accident some years ago was fatal to an earlier Southeast student. What is it going to take to get those responsible to care about this hazard?
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