Speak Out 3/1/05

It's a big asset

FOR EVERYONE who complains about the money being spent on Southeast Missouri State University, think about what Cape Girardeau would be without it. There would be no Cape Girardeau.

Stealing company time

THE NO. 1 theft of employers' time is not reading the Bible. Look around where you work and add up the minutes that are stolen and see if they are Bible related. Those who e-mailed Speak Out comments probably stole company time to do so.

Real teaching issues

TEACHERS NO longer sit behind a desk. They are moving around constantly, on the floor reading or doing projects and walking around the room. They walk their students to and from every activity. During their plan times, you won't find them sitting around. They are making copies, grading papers, attending meetings and planning lessons. They are contending with No Child Left Behind, special education laws, students who have little or no support at home, at-risk students, slow learners, behavior problems, overcrowded classrooms, lack of supplies -- and the list goes on and on.

Not listening

I AM glad to see all the negative comments on the university's water fountain project. But the sad part is this administration doesn't care what the taxpayers have to say. It continues to spend. What can taxpayers do to stop this roller-coaster ride of waste?

Leading the way

I THINK it is wonderful that Southeast Missouri State University is building a major campus entrance at Broadway and Henderson Avenue. I have a blind friend who is a student there. He told me that he often felt confused as to where his classes where and what roads would lead him to the campus. He had a hard time finding Kent Library until the university built that beautiful fountain. Now he says he listens for the sounds of the waterfall, and it leads him right to the library. With a grand entrance there is no doubt that fellow students, blind or not, will be able to find their way to campus.

Underage drinking

I JUST saw an ad on TV that said alcohol kills more teenagers than any illegal drug. Yet there are lots of parents who are letting their underage kids drink at home because they think they'll be safe and they're going to do it anyway. I do not think this is right. These parents are fooling themselves. If they let their kids start drinking at home, what do they think the kids are going to do when they get to college? These parents need to put a stop to this, and people in the community need to put a stop to this.

Large-scale advantages

EFFICIENCY AND maximum profit are standards by which to operate a large-scale business. Maybe some small-scale family farms, especially those in grain or hay production, could sell products by contract to large-scale corporate entities, be they co-ops or livestock production.

Marquette parking

I'M CALLING to voice my concern about the parking problem near the Marquette building in downtown Cape Girardeau. The disabled parking spaces are at the back of the building across the street, and you have to walk around on Broadway to get in the building. The side door on Fountain Street has been locked. I know there's a new restaurant, and everybody wants the building to do well. But somebody needs to do something about the horrendous parking problem.

Passing the plum

I'M READING the article about Bill Foster of Poplar Bluff being replaced on the state industrial commission. Foster is already qualified for a $47,000 retirement, so why not pass the plum on to somebody else? That's what's being done. You just get appointed and become eligible for this ridiculous retirement fund. This is a political plum that's been passed to everybody.