speak out 3/13/02

Money for highways

MoDOT RECEIVES plenty of money from the gas tax for new highways and repair of highways. However, money is being diverted for mass transit, bike trails, hiking trails, the highway patrol and others. If the gas tax were used only for highways as originally intended, there is enough money. Bike and hiking trails are nice and needed, but money should come from other taxes.

Crack down on speeders

I'M CALLING once more about the police in Cape Girardeau and some of their efforts with speeders in our city. It seems children can come over from Illinois and drive 110 mph down Broadway and come away with nothing more than a fine. I think some serious community service time should be in order. I also think there should be some kind of stiffer fine. This is very unfair and dangerous.

Proud of what we do

TO THE people who treat us with respect, thank you so very much. To the people who look down their noses at us, shame on you. We met some of you this past Sunday. We do what we do because we love what we do. We take pride in what we do, and the pay of $15 to $25 per hour is excellent. Who are we? We're the people who clean your offices. Aren't you glad someone loves to do this?

Decent pay for teachers

THE SALARIES and benefits for teachers are almost a disgrace in our area. Why they would choose this profession is beyond me. Maybe it's because they love children and the joy of seeing them learn, grow and accomplish and the feeling they've helped in this process. It sure isn't the money. They put in extra hours after school at home, grading and planning, To be a teacher, you're under a microscope at your job and in private life. The smallest incident is blown out of proportion. School board and parents are shocked at even a traffic ticket or misunderstood word. Yet most teachers make less than most jobs that require little training and education, and they are responsible for our most important possessions: our children and their welfare. I still remember the teachers I had in school and how I appreciated them. They should receive decent pay for their important jobs.

No new center

I WAS reading in the paper about the Jackson Senior Center. They don't need a new center. If they get a new center, there will be a lot of us who won't come. I can't see at all why they would need a new center. They've had it painted. They need to give that money to the schools or have the city get jobs in there for people to work at. We were in the center the other day, and there were two tables that not one person was sitting at. Another table only had one. I don't know what they mean by eating in shifts. All of these centers have something like that.