SPEAK OUT

Enjoy the season

I JUST want to share an experience that I have recently encountered. Being one of those pesky people who always finds something to complain about, I have made myself start writing 30 things, one thing a day, that I am grateful for. Yesterday I had a wonderful experience, and I hope I can encourage others to do the same. I was sitting out on my deck enjoying the change of seasons. I was looking around saying hi to my neighbors and looking at the pretty green grass. What a wonderful place to be in spring. Cape Girar-deau is indeed a nice place to be. If you have five minutes, please stop and enjoy this beautiful season.

We elected them

THERE'S NO reason for fuel prices to go down. They'll probably go up. After all, we have an oil man as president, a millionaire as vice president, a rich man's Congress and a bunch of minimum-wage earners and working people who were foolish enough to vote for them.

Send a message

THE EDITORIAL about the prescription-drug tax credit and Medicare benefit goes to the heart of the problem but doesn't really spell it out. Many people in government are in there for the paycheck and nothing else. They don't care about their jobs. They're going to do the very least they have to to earn their paycheck and keep their jobs. But if we started firing these people and barring them from ever having another government job, this would get their attention. Maybe they'd be more careful of how they spend taxpayer money and how they do their jobs.

Advice from teacher

I'M A teacher at Jackson High School. Friday afternoon my son came home and asked me a question that really shocked me. He asked me how I handled the kids that have had trouble understanding their lessons. I told him I gave them extra time when I could, and extra study guides, and anything else I could do to help. I've never known anyone to fail who really tried. He went on to say that in one of his high school classes, there's a young man who's having trouble. Whenever this student raises his hand, the teacher says "You don't know the answer anyway," and she doesn't call on him any time he has his hand up. She picks a student she's sure knows the answer. It upsets my son to see such pressure on a student from a teacher. Teachers, don't knock these kids down. Everyone is good at something, and no one is good at everything. Be proud that these kids try. Encourage, don't discourage. This is from a fellow teacher.

Need reasons to gripe

ATTENTION JON Rust. Please refrain from writing well-balanced, common sense columns. They provide no grist for Speak Out griping.

Different viewpoints

IN RESPONSE to the article about cleaning up McClure: The first thing I see when I come into town is the pretty school and the sign welcoming me to church. Maybe we look at things in a different light.

Lift from window

I'D LIKE to thank the family who lives on West End Boulevard across from Capaha Park who always has its picture window decorated. It brings such a smile to my face to go past and see what season or holiday the family is decorating for. I feel like its giving me a present every day. We talk about it at work, and people do notice the efforts and enjoy it. Thank you very much.

Clean up the lakes

WHAT IN the world has happened to the lakes at County Park? The moss is so bad it's impossible to fish. Other lakes have been cleared up. Why can't Cape County get some grass carp or something to get rid of all the moss? Let's make it like it used to be so a person can fish there.

Skateboarding in Cape

THANK YOU for the article about the skateboard park in Metropolis. My son drove there the next day to try it out. Please hurry and build one here in Cape for our kids.