Speak Out 3/30/11

Gas prices

EVERYONE needs to contact our president and tell him he needs to step up and do something to reduce these gasoline prices.

Media hype

THE media is bombarding us about how to seal ourselves off in our homes to protect ourselves from radiation, should it should come to that. We learned all that in the 1960s. I'm thinking about sealing myself off from the media that gets all hyped up about everything. Enough is enough.

Editorial response

SHAME on the Southeast Missourian for not supporting nonsmokers in their recent editorial. Instead, you supported the proposed rights of smokers at the detriment to the health of all the citizens in Cape Girardeau.

Smoking sections

I have never used alcohol or tobacco. I have had cancer surgery and heart surgery. But I don't think smoking or not smoking had a thing to do with either disease. Most of the restaurants have smoking or nonsmoking sections. I ask for the non-smoking, but dining in a restaurant that doesn't have nonsmoking doesn't bother me because I have a choice of where I go. I think smokers and nonsmokers have the same rights, so let them go to a place where they can smoke.

Biblical proportions

I saw Nancy Pelosi on the national news when she said that the devastation in Japan was beyond Biblical proportions, when actually the devastation in Japan is exactly of biblical proportions.

Inexperienced leader

I want to comment about our involvement in Libya's civil war. This is what you get when you have a president whose only experience is as a neighborhood organizer. He doesn't know what's going on.

Obama's travels

WITH our country in as bad economic shape as it is and everything else that's going on, I really get tired of turning on the news and seeing President Obama and his family traveling everywhere.

Blocked entrances

I would like to complain about the city's choice of blocking off the only entrance into businesses located behind Arena Park for a recent walking event. Don't you expect people need to get to work and do their business?

Japanese example

I marvel at the Japanese people and their humility during this most difficult time. Everyone is orderly, waiting in line for food. No one is grabbing or snatching. They are an example for all of us. God bless them.

Teacher tenure

BUSINESSMEN don't have tenure for their jobs. Why should a schoolteacher? There's been a lot of dead weight for years in school systems because of tenured teachers. It's time to have quality education.

Barking dog

OUR neighbors have a large dog that barks so loud it disrupts our TV programs and affects our sleep at night. He barks at their door, and they won't let him in. We have called and left messages on their phone several times, but there has been no change. I understand that noise such as this, which is disruptive, is not legal and it seems that any alternative we would have would be to contact the police department.