Speak Out 2/14/08

Highest award

MY HEART goes out to the family and friends of Sgt. Bradley Skelton. He deserves the country's highest award. He has given up his life for his country and for his friends.

Bless Brad

GOD BLESS Brad Skelton.

Healthy choices

I WANT to address the future cost of health care in the United States. Every individual should consider safety in home and business, follow doctor's orders, provide caregivers for family if possible, shop for insurance, use over-the-counter medications when possible, do not use antibacterial products, take classes on physical and mental conditions and get education about pregnancy. Do not abuse the courts with malpractice lawsuits. Investigate alternative medicine. Also understand nutrition and the use of foods to prevent and treat disease and maintain excellent health. Understand the human body and how it functions. Exercise is a key to good health. I believe without proper exercise regiment, no one will be healthy.

Teacher's influence

WHETHER TEACHERS like it or not, they are part of the morals for our children until the age of 18. By then, children should be able to make their own decisions. That's what we've decided in society. They're old enough to go to college, old enough to go to war and old enough to vote. Like it or not, teachers influence children. My child had a teacher convincing him to vote for Barack Obama. I was not pleased, but I kept my mouth shut. My child is coming around. He has decided maybe Obama wasn't the best choice. But it scared the heck out of me.

No-smoking damage

I SAW where Harrah's is laying off 30 people because of the smoking ban. This is crazy. When are people in Illinois going to say enough is enough?

Preaching about votes

I DON'T think any pastor should be in the pulpit telling people who to vote for.

Support the arts

SINCE PRIMITIVE man, art and music has been part of our heritage. Art and music define man. A deep appreciation of art and music is a luxury we all deserve. Support art and music education in schools and in your community. Enrich your life. Bring art and music into your home and into your heart. A song, a poem, a cherished painting or sculpture make life majestic. Those feelings of finality and the mundane become less enslaving, leaving us excited and whole. Visit a museum. Employ musicians for live entertainment at family and group gatherings. Savor the elegance and beauty of affordable investments of art. Art and music spark imagination. Art and music excite the spirit. Art and music nourish our essence. Support the National Endowment for the Arts, which could provide the need our youths are lacking.

Waste of money

I LIVE in a subdivision. We tried chip and seal. The asphalt company said it would last a year to two years. The asphalt companies can tell the county chip and seal is a waste of money.

Family jobs

I HAVE no children or grandchildren in the Delta School District, but I am for building a new grade school. This is one thing I would love to see my tax dollars go for. There is one thing that I don't agree with. I feel there are too many family members employed by the school system, starting at the top down to the janitors. To me this is a conflict of interest. Whenever someone has a problem, the whole family gets in on it. I know there are other people applying for jobs in our school system.

More than day care

I WORK in a Head Start preschool facility. It angers me when someone refers to us as a day care. We are not a day care. We do not just take care of the children. We teach them developmentally appropriate activities geared for their age to help give them a head start in life. We are not there to just wipe their noses and play with them.

No tax refund

I AM drawing 100 percent disability from the VA. I do not pay taxes on that money, because it was awarded due to VA malpractice. I do pay taxes on my Social Security disability, and if I had disability insurance I would have to pay taxes on that money. I don't want the tax refund, because it isn't a gift, It is a high-interest loan with severe penalties for the recipient.

No credibility

CAPE GIRARDEAU County's road advisory board should be disbanded. The public should take a good look at who lives on or has relations or close friends living on the roads scheduled for paving or chip and seal. What credibility is the advisory board talking about? It has none.

Webcasts are good

IT THINK webcasting our commissioners' meetings is a great idea. Our county commission functions as if it did not have to answer to anyone. The commissioners need to be held accountable for their actions. Any action they take or business they conduct should be webcast, recorded and made readily available for viewing by the general public. For way to long this commission has not been held accountable for its actions.

Appreciated teachers

DRIVE BY West Lane Elementary School in Jackson early any weekday morning or late and I will guarantee you will find teachers' and principal's cars there. They give their all. And we appreciate them.

Death statistics

WITH ALL the recent media hype about smoking such as the World Health Organization report that smoking could kill one billion people by the end of the century, I would like to point out that 99 percent of the people alive on Earth today will be dead by the end of the century whether they smoke or not. Life has a 100 percent mortality rate.

Dangerous drivers

PEOPLE EVERYWHERE are driving without using blinkers, not stopping at stop signs, running signals and pulling out in front of you. It's ridiculous. People should watch what they're doing and try to avoid accidents.

Good work, all

WAY TO go, road and utility crews. Keep up the good work. Thanks to you, we are getting along fine.