Speak Out 2/2/03

Now they want respect

I HAD to laugh at the hypocrisy I heard on the radio. It was a public-service announcement about how kids are getting things over the Internet and downloading music. It said the music industry is at risk. It asked people to respect the law and not download music. This was from an industry that has for years glorified performers who blatantly break the law with drugs and alcohol abuse and various other things. If the performers want kids to be law-abiding citizens, they should produce music in which law-abiding citizens are put on a pedestal instead of being made fun of.

Great job, Dr. Fox

WITH THIS being School Board Recognition Week, I want to say what a great job Dr. Bob Fox does for the Cape Girardeau School District. He is ending his last term in office. He has served the district well. He doesn't ask for anything. All he gets as the board president is complaints.

Think of pet safety

TO THE Speak Out caller who loves to haul his dog in the bed of his pickup because his dog enjoys his snout in the wind: If you happen to hit a pothole or have an accident, his snout could be in the pavement. We should think of our pets' safety.

Democrats' motivation

WHY DO Democrats disagree with, protest, disrupt and denounce everything President Bush attempts to help the economy and protect our nation and world? It's simple. They know if the economy is good, the country is safe from terrorism and Iraq is stable, they haven't a chance in the next election. Their game is politics. Not the public. Not the country. It's power.

Protecting America

THE STATE of the Union address by President Bush has proven again so thoroughly what we knew all along. God has indeed blessed America and has sent a savior to save America in President Bush. President Bush is so right. We all want peace, but we will not lie down after terrorists and their sponsor country, Iraq, attack America.

Hillbilly contestants

I THINK it's silly that someone in the Appalachians would be upset about a show called "The Beverly Hillbillies Reality Show." I have Southern roots. Hillbillies range from Tennessee to western Kentucky. My grandfather was a coal miner. My grandmother had a wood stove until she died this last year. It wouldn't be unusual to see me out in the snow with sandals on, because hillbillies love to go barefoot. I think the sicker kind of show is the reality show that has the public link up a bride and a groom as if marriage is to be taken lightly. I think what should determine whether there is a Beverly Hillbillies reality show is if there are people willing to be contestants. I would dare say that you would get plenty of volunteers from Kentucky who would like to live in a Beverly Hills mansion for a year.

Now it's Patch Road

FOR THE motorists who drive on Highway 25 between Jackson and Dutchtown: I elect to change the name of the highway to Patch Road, because there are patches upon patches upon patches all over the road.

School representatives

SCHOOLS ARE not to blame for conduct outside their control. Schools have a right and an obligation to determine which students will be allowed to represent the school. Students violating the law are not credible citizens. MHSAA has offered this guideline for sports programs. That is not blaming the school. It is up to the administration to let students know if they represent the school, they will obey the laws.

It's like a joke

I CAN'T believe anyone would call for youths to be prosecuted for underage drinking at a bonfire on private property. The only thing the youths really should have been aware of is they were in a dangerous situation. The shotgun shells should have been the first indication. It's kind of like a David Letterman joke: How do you know when a bonfire is no longer safe? When the shotgun shells start going off.

THIS IS to the person that thinks that Smash Mouth shouldn't have been a flop. Styx is a well-known group, and it has clean lyrics. If you get groups with dirty lyrics for our kids to listen to, forget it. I would rather my kids listen to something like Styx any day than Smash Mouth.

Learn as you go?

DO THE judges in small-claims court just make up the rules as they go? I've been several times, and it seems like each one has a different idea of the law.

Not persuasive

I WANT to comment about President Bush's State of the Union speech. He didn't get everybody on his side. I think he's in deep political trouble.

Not my money

THE CALLER who said income taxes are not evil but are a wonderful way of redistributing the wealth in a more equitable and just manner is a socialist. No person has the right to the wealth of someone else -- ever.

Everyone pays the same

A FAIR tax would be where everyone pays the same percentage. It's not the job of the federal government to distribute the wealth of our citizens. Many say taxes aren't too high. Of course not. They're the ones who pay none. Christians are asked to pay 10 percent to their churches, not 10 percent from the wealthy and none from the not-so-wealthy. That's called fair. Can you imagine if everyone paid a fair tax what a surplus there would be? And a fair tax would be a consumer tax on what you buy. Those who earn more would pay more. Then we could dump this monster bureaucracy called the IRS.

Trashy area

THIS MESSAGE is directed toward the residents along Rockview Road that runs down to Chaffee. What an eyesore you have. Surely the Scott County commissioners can do something about the trash along the old Frisco Road. The entire two miles is covered with trash. Appliances and everything you can think of are being thrown out along side that road. There are dilapidated cars sitting around. Rockview used to be a pretty area, but now it just looks awful. Something needs to be done as soon as possible.