Speak Out 2/9/08

Parents as teachers

IT IS not a teacher's job to make moral choices for teenagers. It is a teenager's job to make the right choices. It is the parents' jobs to instill these values and be an example to their children.

Failing students

THE DELTA School Board is failing our children. Our teachers let children listen to MP3 players during class and play computer games rather than learn typing or basic Web design. When parents approach the school board, getting on the agenda is impossible, and problems are ignored. The school administration needs to change priorities. Let's join forces with parents to make sure students are learning. Start after-school tutoring. Parents should be responsible, but too often they can't do the homework. Let's do what we can to ensure that these kids grow up able to help their children with eighth-grade math. It is time for a big change, and that falls on the parents and citizens in the Delta School District.

Wage impact

I CAN'T support minimum-wage increases because they take jobs from good people and hurt business owners. The increases raise food prices and affect the housing market. Why are we being so stupid to believe that all problems will be fixed when we start making $7.50 and hour next year? It's going to get worse before it gets better. If we keep crying because we don't make enough money, we might as well complain about our dogs, cars and anything else that comes to mind. Please try to stop the minimum wage from getting higher.

Make them pay

CAPE GIRARDEAU should consider rezoning the 1200 block of South Pacific Street as commercial. Drug dealers should pay taxes too.

Becoming inner-city

I AM a parent who has had two kids graduate from Central High School. Both kids were honor students and went on to good universities and have competed quite well with top students from top school systems. Central annually graduates students that go to some of the top schools in the country. Obviously, these kids got a pretty good education at Central. Kids who want to learn can. I keep hearing that we need more programs. We are currently serving breakfast at most schools. We have after-school learning programs, extra reading programs. Now we are talking about preschool and day care. What's next? Dinner and overnight housing? Unless parents care about their kids' education and push the kids to care, all the money and all the programs don't work. Too many kids are disrespectful to teachers and staff and don't try in the classroom. School officials have little power to make them behave. Central is becoming like an inner-city school. The smart, well-behaved kids are starting to leave the system to go to private schools. I'm glad my kids aren't still in school.

Wasting dollars

THE CITY is going to spend $500,000 to straighten a section of Kingsway Drive. I made a point of driving that stretch of road to justify that expense. There is not much traffic, and it is not a danger. Can't we spend that money somewhere where it would have a better impact? The Missouri Department of Transportation made a good case for its last tax initiative to fix roads and bridges. It promised to spend the money wisely. Now we have mileage markers every two-tenths of a mile on every interstate. That was dollars wasted.

A dumb idea

MANY PEOPLE on disability pay taxes. People on welfare pay taxes. The tax refund is a dumb idea, because we all will eventually have to pay it back. Our nation is in serious financial trouble, and we are getting extra tax refunds?

New Delta school

DELTA SCHOOL District needs a new grade school. The idea of it being in town and so close to the high school is an advantage to everybody. This is a positive thing for our town. Tutors are a good thing. Most kids will pay more attention to a tutor than to a parent who is trying to help. If you disagree, take more time to help your own child. Teachers can only do so much with 20 to 30 kids in a class. I think Delta has good teachers, and I 100 percent support a new grade school.

Filched bank card

I SEE in Speak Out that people find purses in shopping carts and numerous places and are honest enough to return them to the owner. Sadly I had no such experience. Sometime after I filled my gas tank at an area service station I lost my bank card. Somebody found it and went to another service station and had a heyday with it instead of seeing that it got returned to me. Someone took $260 of my money before I could get to the bank on Monday morning to cancel the card. I have had to go though a lot of headache to straighten this out. In the meantime I cannot pay my utility bill.

Jackson police

I HATE complainers, especially those who would make our lovely city of Jackson a police state. I drive in Jackson often, and I haven't noticed anyone using the center lane as a driving lane. I understood there was a bit of a crackdown by the police for a while. People are behaving themselves. I don't want a cop breathing down my back.

Ballot instructions

I VOTED at the Hanover precinct where only 40 people voted for Mary Kasten for 158th District state representative. Poll workers did not tell us to turn the ballot over to vote for state representative. I thought we could only vote for the president. It was a failure of those poll workers to tell us that you had to turn the ballots over. Otherwise, there would have been more votes for Kasten.

Do the right thing

A COMMENT begged the owners of Global Trading not to pursue their suit, which would cost taxpayers money. Would you do that if it were your livelihood on the line? Let's all get behind the owners of Global Trading and make as much noise as the folks on Lacey Street. Our city council is an elitist group that needs to stop treating average residents so cavalierly. Let's get them to do the right thing instead of asking the mistreated store owner to back down.

Profit motive

I HAVE question for President Bush. If a corporation receives subsidies from the government, what incentive does it have to make a profit?