SPEAK OUT

A good reason

THE ONLY people who would not want cameras at stoplights are those who run the red lights and don't want to be caught.

Put ID tags on pets

THIS IS an urgent plea to all dog owners in Cape Girardeau. Please take the time and spend a few dollars to get a tag with your dog's name, your name, and your phone number and address on it. Today I came home from the park to find a beautiful dog in my yard. He had on a collar with a tag with a rabies number. My daughter called a vet. The vet on call said he was on call for six different vets' offices, and he didn't have access to all of the records. He couldn't help us at all. I couldn't take the dog in my house. I have a daughter with severe allergies. I didn't want to call the city, but by the same token we didn't want the dog to run around loose and get hit by a car. When you have a pet, you spend money on food and shots. Please spend a few more dollars to get your pet a tag.

It's a big payback

WHY DON'T we tell it like it is? The enormous tax breaks for the rich are their welfare program and payback to the Bush campaign backers.

Economic time bomb

THE ECONOMY appears to be in trouble. A recession may be coming, and unemployment is rising. Are investors afraid to invest in the stock market because they're a bit skeptical of this Republican president and Congress? We haven't had that combination since 1952. Things got in a mess then. Stocks went down, and a recession began. A lot of investors likely voted Republican out of loyalty and didn't think that the people in the rest of the country would be crazy enough to give Bush a Republican Congress. That's like a time bomb set to go off.

For the good of all

TO THE person who said Alan Greenspan is a Republican first and an American second: I wonder why anyone would want the economy to go downhill. Every American should want the economy to be steady for the benefit of all people. Republicans and Democrats should work together for the good of America.

More praise for officer

I JUST read in the paper about Officer Sievers from the Jackson Police Department and how everybody likes him. I know a group that doesn't like him at all: drunk drivers and drug users. Sievers is awful hard on them. Somebody ought to give that man a pat on the back for his good job. He always gets out there and does the best he can. Officer Sievers, you keep up the good work.

Officers appreciated

THIS IS for our fallen policemen: May God bless you and restore you to health. Thank you for protecting us and putting your lives on the line. We do appreciate you.

That's why I pay taxes

I'M RESPONDING to the Speak Out item "Chance to volunteer." First, I'm not concerned about abandoned vehicles because I don't think the city should tell me what time schedule I should have to fix my vehicle. And I pay taxes for the ditches to be cleaned, so why should I volunteer? I'm tired of being taxed. My tax money is for the public works department to do its job.

Junking up Red Star

I FEEL that the people who are junking up our Red Star district should have to pay a fine or something. It's on Main Street between Third and Fourth. All they're doing is junking up city property. Why can't the city do something about it?

Get rid of khaki

WHY DO business establishments require employees to wear those horrible tan or khaki pants? Maybe one person out of 50 looks good in them. The other 49 would look much better in navy blue or black. Come on, employers, give us all a break.

Get rid of birds

I WISH the city would do something about these birds. Heck, if nothing else, give people permits to eliminate them. This is getting crazy. You wash your car and have to do it all over again the next day. These air cannons and other methods the city's using, plus paying overtime, trying to scare these birds away are not working. It's been going on for two years and hasn't solved a thing. The city needs to do something to eradicate the problem. Simply scaring the birds from tree to tree or town to town does not solve anything. Our tax money is going to pay for this stuff. The problem needs to be addressed effectively.