Speak Out 2/7/09

Unwanted change

PEOPLE are yelling about unemployment and companies moving out of the country. With high taxes and unions, we are an unfriendly country for businesses. Until we make America friendly to businesses instead of all this change, they're not going to keep their business here. They're going to continue to move out. We're going to get change, but we may not like it.

Dangerous playing

CONCERNING the hole in the ice in the creek near Boxwood Drive: This is a plea to the parents of children playing in the creek all the time. They're going to get killed. I beg you to keep your children out of there.

Jackson streets

I have lived in Jackson all of my life and have never seen the city do such a bad job cleaning the streets in town after a winter storm. Several businesses in Jackson have been closed.

Salute to garbage men

OUR city garbage collectors do a great job under adverse conditions. This has been a brutally cold winter. Cape Girardeau should issue each of them two new pairs of insulated boots and two new pairs of insulated gloves. They should be treated with respect. Do they get the appropriate protective gear? They risk their lives with dangerous dogs in dangerous neighborhoods and slick streets to keep our city looking good. Hats off to the garbage men.

Great neighbors

I believe I'm the oldest of person living on Highway 72 at Millersville. I want you to know I have the most wonderful neighbors in the world. They were all there for me in all of this bad weather. God bless you.

Ethanol from trees

THERE are so many broken trees in the Sikeston and Dexter areas it's unbelievable. If anybody knows how to make ethanol out of cellulose, now is the time to speak up.

Thanks for deliveries

I live on Sharon Drive and I want to thank our paper carrier and our wonderful mail carrier who has gone above and beyond the call of duty and is walking her route to deliver our mail. Thank you to both of these wonderful women. God bless.

Bury the lines

UTILITY workers are going above and beyond the call of duty during this mess. But it could have been avoided. Telephone companies buried their cables, and we don't have a problem. What's wrong with the utility companies doing the same thing? I'm sure it would be a monumental undertaking, but imagine how much of this mess could be avoided had the cables been buried.

Outdoor cats

CATS were designed to be outdoors. They can survive outdoors and do it quite well.

Wonderful city

I'M so thankful I live in Cape Girardeau. We've got a wonderful city. Our electricity has stayed on. We've had water. And the streets have been in good shape. I think the city is taking good care of us. I appreciate that.

Help the needy

IT'S stupid to put $50,000 to $75,000 into a bike race at this time. People are having trouble buying groceries and paying their insurance. We should be using the money for things for people in need.

No stimulus

I'VE been a lifelong Democrat, but this stimulus bill passed by the House is a joke. It is not going to help one factory worker or one office worker who has lost his job. It's not going to do the job that the president wants done. This is one time the Republicans are right.

Walking on highway

WHEN you see a woman walking along a four-lane highway in this weather, don't think she's out for a daily stroll. It's because she cannot get her vehicle to her house because of the ice and has to park about a quarter-mile away. Please give her a break and pull into the other lane so you don't scare her to death.

Create jobs

THE Republican members of Congress still don't get it. Tax credits for the working people and less withholdings out of paychecks doesn't help the unemployed much. Why can't they seem to understand there are no jobs? There needs to be jobs created by the government. Whatever happened to investing in the country by buying savings bonds? Can't we see some incentives created in this type of investing and teach the young how to save?