Speak Out 3/6/08

Environment concerns

THANKS TO Sam Blackwell for the report on water pollution and to Southeast Missouri State University's Center for Environmental Analysis for the study. When we elect Republicans to statewide or federal power, this is what we get. Agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources become politicized and protect business interests at the expense of human and environmental health. The result is greater profits and greater human suffering. Anyone voting Republican should know they are voting for short-term profits over health and future generations. This is what the local and federal Republicans represent: special interests. If you care about the future, you have to vote against these rogues.

Short memories

GARY RUST has made a monumental effort to appease Rod Jetton for a Southeast Missourian headlined story about Jetton's "lazy Missourians" comment. Jetton and Rust are evidently trying to convince members of the Show Me State that we have done well under czarist Republican rule. Even if we have, voters have short memories. As Missouri joins other states and sinks into stagflation and recession, the uppermost question on the minds of voters when perusing Republican candidates will not be, "What have you done for me in the past?" but, rather, "What have you done for me lately?"

Team comparison

I THINK the political opponents of Rod Jetton are distorting his comments. What's wrong with pointing out that some people are lazy and that many of our government programs give them incentives not to work? If Jetton had made that comment without adding the bit about trading lazy Missourians for some hardworking Mexicans, most of us would have agreed with it. I'm a St. Louis Rams fan. But it's clear that some of our players aren't as hardworking as those on other teams. Am I wrong for suggesting that the Rams would be better for trading their weaker players for some other team's harder workers? I don't think so. In no way was Jetton saying all Mexicans were better than all Missourians.

Thanks for money

THANK YOU to the couple at Wendy's for picking up the two $20 bills I dropped when paying for my food. I was so grateful and wanted to thank them again.

Happy birthday

HAPPY 35th birthday, Speak Out. The Southeast Missourian's Speak Out section has given countless numbers of people a reason to get up in the morning.

Spending for tires

FIRST COMES the ice, then the potholes. I'll use my economic stimulus package money for new tires.

No apology needed

I CONSIDER myself to be a hard-working Missourian. Rod Jetton said nothing that offends me, nor does he owe me an apology. His comment about lazy Missourians hit the nail on the head. No alien, legal or otherwise, has ever taken a job from a hard-working Missourian. Lazy Missourians would rather complain than work, while aliens are glad to have the job. If we cut back on government programs, we have a lot more people working.

Use a barking dog

CONCERNING THE deer and the squirrels from Joe Sullivan's yard: I had an similar experience. I had raccoons and squirrels and every neighborhood cat and dog. We had deer eating out of our two gardens. Get a barking dog. It will keep the critters away. I guarantee it will work. I got rid of all my critters.