Speak Out 2/3/06

Tacky signs

CAPE GIRARDEAU should rethink its sign ordinances. More and more of those giant ugly billboards are going up along the main roads. It looks tacky, and it's distracting to motorists.

Safety first

IN LIGHT of the 17-year-old who was shot and the eighth-grader who brought a toy gun to school, parents need to rein in their kids. Lock up the guns. Enforce the curfew. This is not the time to be afraid of your children. For parents with teenagers, buy them a can of Mace or a screamer. Mace can blind an attacker, and a screamer can make an attacker deaf. Children of all ages should heed the rules parents set. They should check in with their parents once in a while when they are out. This world is dangerous enough. Keep safe. It'll make everyone feel better.

Taking a stand

A TRUE student of the Bible not only reads it but lives it. They are the individuals who treat others right. They are the ones you should want leading you instead of ones that flip-flop with every wind of doctrine. I think we have perfect examples in Congress of individuals change depending upon which way society's wind is blowing. I'd rather know, even if I do not agree, where politicians stand at all times instead of watching them change depending on the election. As far as Gov. Matt Blunt is concerned, I think the assessment of him was unfair. When you consider that Missouri's budget was out of control, he did what he had to do, and our legislators did too. It isn't easy to make a stand like Blunt did. I would be bold enough to say that should anyone else have been in there, it would have been easier to cave in to political pressure and continue on the path of out-of-control spending.

Lack of punishment

I AM so tired of judges not punishing criminals who are a danger to society. Judge William Syler gave a suspended sentence to someone for drinking and driving. What happened to zero tolerance on driving under the influence that judges always tout? We are all lucky this motorist didn't kill someone the first time. Did the guy learn his lesson? Not at all. Less than an hour later, Judge Syler caught him drinking again. Again, the judge suspends his sentence. What has this criminal learned? That he can keep breaking the law, putting each of us and our kids at risk of death. When will Judge Syler learn that the community wants these folks taken off the streets before they kill someone?

Experiencing racism

AS A parent of African-American children in the Cape Girardeau School District, I am disappointed in the racism that is going on. My son attends Central Middle School and recently had an experience with a teacher who told him and other students that blacks were ignorant. That is something you don't tell a child. My daughter experienced racism with a former band student last year. I never thought my children would have to experience racism. There's no reason for it. We have proven over and over again that we can be just as successful as anyone else. We are not beneath any one else on this earth. School officials need to take a closer look at teachers and inform them that these children need encouragement, not discouragement.

Train barriers

IT CURRENTLY takes about 15 minutes for a train going at maximum speed to clear a railroad crossing on the BNSF route in Scott County. Currently, about six trains run on BNSF tracks through Scott County every day. But if the UP proposal passes, about 24 trains would come through every day. Since it takes 15 minutes for a train to clear a crossing, the crossings would be blocked 25 percent of the time, not including when the trains stop on a crossing. If you live on the other side of the tracks anywhere in Scott County, you would have a 25 percent chance that the ambulance you need during an emergency would get stopped by a train.

Just do it

WHAT IS the big deal about having to supply certain documents when you renew your driver's license? It's the law. It's required. It's not that hard to get those items. If you know you don't have them, start getting them together. It's that simple. If everyone spent as much time getting things straight as they do complaining about it over morning coffee with their buddies, there wouldn't be a problem. Quit whining and just do it.

Where's the coroner?

CAN ANYONE explain how the mayor of Cairo, Ill., can pass judgment on and fire two career police officers and one dispatcher who were on duty when an inmate died in the Cairo jail? Cause of death has not even been determined yet. Why isn't the Alexander County coroner's office handling this instead of Cairo's mayor? An inquest is usually held to determine cause of death. To date none has been scheduled. Take charge, Mr. Coroner, and please keep the public informed.

No diploma needed

TO GET your driver's license, you have to pass a driving test and a written test. Even if teenagers don't have a high school diploma or a GED, they still have to be able to operate a vehicle safely and correctly. Having a high school diploma has nothing to do with it. There are plenty of people without high school diplomas who are achieving great things in their life.

Paying for babies

FROM THE Missouri Department of Social Services: 96,988 fewer people were on Medicaid in December than in January 2005. There were 10,613 fewer disabled people and 1,370 fewer elderly people. But there were 2,608 more pregnant woman covered by the program. Does this tell us something? We have a right to have babies. Should we also have the right to expect someone else to cover the costs of having babies? Being disabled or elderly is not a choice: Having babies is. A rather simple solution: A law saying that in one year government will no longer pay the doctor and hospital bills for anyone having a baby. This might encourage teens to use birth control and would probably encourage parents to be more pro-active in monitoring and educating their children. We live in a world where too many babies are born to parents who cannot afford them financially or emotionally.

Too much taxes

INSTEAD OF the natural disaster survey included in the annual tax-assessment mailing for Cape Girardeau County, why didn't the commissioners include a county satisfaction survey? While preparing for natural disasters is good planning, you can't plan for the unexpected. What is expected is that property taxes are doubling every 10 years. The incumbent commissioners speak glowing of all the business expansion that has occurred during their tenures. What should really be considered is the huge amount of taxes being strapped onto each property owner.

Distinctive canopies

CONCERNING THE uptown Jackson historic district: I see they intend to add canopies that are uniform in appearance. That is an unproductive proposal. You can see the uniform white aluminum covers that were installed in the 1970s, which was the beginning of the decline of the uptown area. Why would anyone consider doing the same thing again? Early in Jackson, all shops had distinctive canvas canopies that were easily identifiable for each business and added real character. Some of these canopies are still visible. Installing a uniform canopy would only create a mall appearance, which lacks character for our historic uptown Jackson. Let the businesses choose their own patterned canvas canopies that can roll up and that are historically accurate for the district.

Lawyer's fault

WHILE SO many are upset with Wal-Mart over the Shanks episode, I pose another question: Why did the attorney pursuing the Shanks case not check into the insurance and handle it differently? From my point of view, the attorney is more at fault than Wal-Mart's insurance. He should have known, or discovered, that the insurance carrier had a right to recover its expenses.