Speak Out 2/16/07

Bell City blame

HOW CAN Bell City School District try to dump all its problems on its former coach, who is sitting out the year while the district isn't in any trouble at all? The facts are coming out that more players living out of district have been recruited and are not paying tuition. How can they blame coach for not making these children pay tuition? How can they blame him for making up fake addresses? The Bell City administration and school board should be ashamed.

Astounding results

THIS IS in reference to the new Cape Girardeau Public Library. I moved here a couple of years ago from Lebanon, Mo. Its library, like Cape Girardeau's, had long since outgrown its population and was in need of more and updated computers. The Lebanon library bought the old Kmart building, and the results were astounding. It too has a coffee/sandwich shop, and many people I had never seen before began to enjoy the library's resources. People who are complaining have to remember not everyone has a computer at home to use for research. The people you help give access may be the ones who succeed rather than fail and cause problems for society.

Above the law?

THE WAY the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education handled Bell City's punishment after finding the out-of-district children was disgusting, to say the least. Attorney General Jay Nixon wouldn't do any thing, saying he didn't think the superintendent knew where the students lived. Isn't that her job? Now MSHSAA has received a complaint. How much longer can Bell City operate above the law?

Deflected siren

HAS ANYONE noticed the weather warning siren on East Jackson Boulevard? Isn't it aimed at a billboard? Will that billboard deflect the sound?

Border fences

THE United States ranks first and India ranks 12th in gross domestic product. Eighty percent of India's population lives on less than $2 a day. Maybe that's why they have the political will to build a 3,000-kilometer fence along the Pakistan border and are building an even longer fence along the Bangladesh border. The United States ranks behind India in political will and guts.

Teacher's lament

I AM sick of people claiming that teachers make too much. Even after getting a master's degree I will barely break $30,000 to teach in Cape Girardeau. The most a teacher in this district can ever make is $50,000, and that is after 30 years of experience, a master's degree and 30 extra hours of college credit. I am not complaining. I went into teaching because I wanted to reach children, not get rich. The problem is not the wage but what teachers are facing these days: disrespect from students, lack of parent involvement and people who think they know everything telling them what to teach, all while trying to teach the curriculum required. Respect, how to pass a ridiculous state test and life skills we should not be responsible for. For all of you who think you can do this job better, go back to school and prove it. I'd love to see your comments after walking a year in a local teacher's shoes.

Seat-belt rationale

THE REASON the government makes you wear a seat belt is simple. If you're in a wreck and you become paralyzed, the government is going to have to pay for it. Sure, you will probably have insurance, but you will also probably be collecting Social Security sooner than you would otherwise. Wearing a seat belt is not always a sure thing, but statistically it is better to have it on than not.

Get the shot

I THINK the vaccine to prevent cervical cancer is a great thing. I have two sisters who had cervical cancer, and both of them by the age of 25 had to have surgery. Thank God I have been lucky, but I have a 16-year-old, and I will see that she gets the shot.

Open opinions

IT SOUNDS like there are members of the Cape Girardeau school board who want secret meetings to iron out differences ahead of the TV cameras. That's not what we elected the board members to do. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. This is a democracy, not a dictatorship.

Board backbone

IT LOOKS like we finally have school board members with backbone instead of a big rubber stamp. Thank you to the two men who had the courage to raise questions. We don't need a preschool next to a business that sells guns.

State has ruled

LET ME get this straight. Bell City School District accused Scott County Central School District of recruiting four players. Three of those four lived in the Scott County Central district, and this was confirmed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Who is the Missouri State High School Activities Association to overrule DESE? What is there left to investigate? MSHSAA is a voluntary organization, but DESE is the state.

Conflict on board

TIM ARBEITER needs to excuse himself from any conversations, negotiations or voting regarding the preschool located at NARS. He is employed by the chamber of commerce. That's a direct conflict of interest and needs to be brought to someone's attention.

No comparison

IN A newspaper story published recently regarding the firing of a Chaffee police officer for allegedly soliciting prostitution, comments were made regarding the fact that officer was fired while another officer, involved in a high-speed chase was not. The officer in the high-speed chase was doing his job. These are two completely different types of incidents and can't be compared.

Schools need help

OUR SCHOOLS are in bad shape. We don't need to take on a preschool. Fix what you have.

Paying for jail

I WAS incarcerated in the Cape Girardeau County Jail. I'd like to know why you have to pay for staying there. The food is not fit to feed to a hog. You have one pillow and one blanket. I'd like to know what the county does with all that money.

Honorable man

IF STATE Rep. Scott Lipke decides to run for the Missouri Senate, he can definitely count on my vote. He is an honorable man with our best intentions at heart.

Don't sell forest

I AM against President Bush's plan to sell 22,000 acres of the Mark Twain National Forest. Not only will the money fail to go to schools as promised, but we need the forest to purify our air, protect our wildlife and have recreational parks for future generations. Is this another ploy to finance the war?